vangeltstic 
Services  *  * 


JAN  16  1915 

guaaestions  as  to  plans,  ZlDetboSs, 
Btc*,  bs  tbe  General  assembles 
Committee  on  Evangelistic  Morfe, 


Compiled  b£  IRev.  5.  ff.  Carson,  !>♦  E>. 
Cbatrman  ot  tbc  Xtteraturc  Committee. 


L 


BV 

3790 

.E92 


i*et 


^J                           PRINCETON,  N.  J.                         *# 

Presented    by   \"t<Sr\f,  3r^\  OV  Cr^pC^W  I  I  , 

BV    3790    .E92 
Evangelistic   services 

EVANGELISTIC 
SERVICES. 


mm 

JAN  16  1915 


A 


SUGGESTIONS   AS   TO    PLANS,    MeTH 


«.  ETC?%e!CAL  «9$ 


GENERAL  ASSEMBLY'S  COMMITTEE 


ON- 


EVANGELISTIC  WORK. 


C-ompiled  by  the    REVEREND  J.  F,  CARSON,  D.  D., 
Chairman  of  the  Literature  Committee. 


v— r 


v 


Committee  on    Citeratnre: 
+ 

Rev.  J.  F.  Carson,  D.D. 
Rev.  J.  Wilbur  Chapman,  D.D. 
Rev.  John  Balcom  Shaw,  D.D. 


.1 


Sifcfr* 


Contents. 


PAGE 

I     A  Call  to  Prayer  and   an   Appeal  for 

Action. 9 

II     Action  of  the  General  Assembly  .       10 

III  ,  The   General   Assembly's    Committee 

on  Evangelistic  Work    ,     .         .        .10 

IV  Statement  of  the  Committee          .         .       12 
V    The  Outlook .13 

VI  The  Great  Need  of  the  Church     .        .  14 

VII  The  Revival  Needed     ....  20 

VIII  What  is  Our  Power        ....  27 

IX  .  A  Presbyterial  Conference    ...  33 

X  The  Influence  of  Riverdale  Conference  36 

XI  Prayer  in  Revival           .       .  .         .         .  38 

XII  Evangelism  among  Rural  Churches     .  45 

XIII  Organizing  the  Forward  Movement  in 

the  Individual  Church        ...      47 

XIV  Suggestions  for  the  Work     .         .         .51 
XV     Getting  Ready       .        .        .         .        .56 

XVI  Preparation  for  the  Services          .         .  59 

XVII  The  Committees 62 

XVIII  After  the  Sermon  in  an    Evangelistic 

Service 68 

XIX  The  After-Meeting        .        .  .71 

XX  How  to  Aid  Inquirers   .         .  74 

XXI  The  Inquirer's  Card      .         .  76 

XXII  After  the  Meetings        ....  78 


XXIII 

Personal  Work 

80 

XXIV 

A  Committee  of  One  Hundred 

85 

XXV 

Dr.  Stebbins'  Work 

97 

XXVI 

A  Good  Plan 

99 

XXVII 

Two  Bands     .... 

102 

XXVIII 

The  Conversion  of  Children 

104 

XXIX 

Age  of  Conversion 

108 

XXX 

Decision  Day  in  the  Sunday  School     . 

in 

XXXI 

Summer  Evangelism     . 

118 

XXXII 

The  Philadelphia  Tent  Movement 

120 

XXXIII 

The  Organization  of  the  Tent  Move- 

ment   ....... 

124 

XXXIV 

Revivals  Temporary 

127 

XXXV 

Suggestions  from  Observation     . 

128 

XXXVI 

A  Pastor's  Suggestions 

130 

XXXVII 

Suggestive  Paragraphs 

.     131 

XXXVIII 

The  Parochial  Mission  of  the  Episcopal 

Church 

134 

XXXIX 

Catholic  Missions 

141 

XL 

S.  S.  Evangelism  . 

146 

fovemoxh. 

The  General  Assembly's  Committee  on  Evangelistic 
Work  does  not  advocate  any  special  method  of  conduct- 
ing Evangelistic  Services.  The  Committee  was  ap- 
pointed "to  stimulate  the  churches  in  Evangelistic 
work,"  and  not  to  push  any  special  theory  or  method. 
But  so  many  pastors  and  Presbyterial  committees  have 
written  for  suggestions  as  to  methods  of  organization 
and  plans  of  work  that  this  little  book  has  been  prepared. 
It  is  an  answer  to  a  demand.  Methods  of  work  will 
differ  in  different  localities.  The  conditions  of  the  work 
to  be  done,  the  circumstances  in  which  the  work  is  to  be 
done  and  the  temperament  of  the  people  who  are  to  do 
the  work  will  determine  the  method.  If  Saul  is  to  slay 
the  Philistine,  he  had  better  put  on  his  full  armor  and 
select  his  truest  sword ;  but  if  David  is  to  battle  with  the 
giant,  the  simple  sling  and  the  smooth  stones  will  be 
better  for  him.  No  one  should  be  bound  by  another's 
method.  The  work  is  fixed,  the  method  is  flexible.  If 
one  method  fails  to  accomplish  the  end  desired,  another 
should  be  tried.  The  result  is  everything.  Bishop 
Aldheim,  of  the  seventh  century,  finding  that  the  people 
did  not  come  to  his  church,  took  his  harp  and  standing 
on  the  corner  played  so  sweetly  that  the  crowd  gathered 
to  hear  him,  and  then  he  preached  to  them  the  sweeter 
message  of  grace.  I  do  not  urge  the  use  of  the  harp,  but 
I  plead  for  the  spirit  that  was  back  of  the  harp,  the 
Pauline  spirit  that  will  cry  out:  "  I  am  made  all  things 
to  all,  that  I  might  by  all  means  save  some.  And  this  I 
do  for  the  Gospel's  sake."  Our  business  is  to  reach  the 
people,  and  to  accomplish  that  we  must  be  ready  to  em- 
ploy any  means  as  auxiliary  and  supplemental  to  the 
regular  church  service.  The  methods  which  are  out- 
lined in  this  book  are  methods  which  have  been  used  suc- 
cessfully. They  can  he  adopted  in  any  church  or  com- 
munity, of  course  with  such  modifications  as  the  church 
or  community  would  demand. 


The  vitalizing  power  of  any  method  is  the  presence 
of  the  Divine  Spirit.  The  church  must  not  count  too 
much  upon  machinery.  She  must  lean  back  upon  the 
Divine  Power,  Power  that  is  waiting  to  energize  Itself 
in  and  through  us.  Dr.  Charles  A.  Parkhurst  has  well 
said  that  there  are  "workers  in  the  cause  of  Christ 
wearing  themselves  out,  shortening  their  lives  and  ex- 
hausting their  powers  because  they  will  operate  the 
machinery  of  the  Church  by  their  own  sheer  strength 
when  they  might  belt  the  ponderous  mechanism  of  the 
Church  to  the  enginery  of  the  sky,  and  prolong  their  own 
serviceableness  by  letting  spiritual  agencies,  like  in- 
dustrial ones,  be  bound  back  to  the  dynamics  of  Heaven 
and  worked  by  the  inspiration  of  the  Almighty."  The 
most  urgent  necessity  in  the  Church  is  not  methods,  but 
power;  not  information,  but  inspiration ;  not  schooling, 
but  baptism.  Let  us  pray  for  this  baptism  on  the  whole 
Church  as  her  full  equipment  for  Evangelism ;  a  baptism 
for  the  minister,  for  the  elder,  for  the  deacon,  for  the 
trustee,  for  the  Sabbath  School  superintendent,  for  every 
member  of  the  Church ;  such  a  baptism  as  will  arouse 
the  Church  and  send  her  forth  on  her  divine  mission  to 
the  world.  Our  common  and  comprehensive  need  is 
the  inspiration  of  the  Spirit,  with  all  the  wisdom  and 
power  which  that  involves,  so  that  we  may  work  all  our 
plans  and  methods  with  the  ability  which  God  giveth, 
that  God  in  all  things  may  be  glorified  through  Jesus 
Christ,  to  whom  be  praise  and  dominion  forever  and 
ever. 

J.  F.  Carson. 


CHAPTER  I. 

&  (fall  to  ftrager  anb  an  ^peal  for  ftctiott. 

John  H.  Converse,  LL.D. 

The  time  is  ripe  for  a  forward  movement.  The 
hearts  and  consciences  of  the  people  are  aroused  to  its 
necessity.  The  obligation  resting  upon  us  to  give 
the  gospel  to  every  creature  is  broad  and  binding. 
We  must  not  only  offer  the  message  of  salvation — we 
must  "compel"  the  people  to  come  in.  We  must 
recognize  that  new  methods  are  demanded  by  new 
conditions.  Our  churches  are  not  able  in  their  ordinary 
operations  to  fulfill  the  command  of  our  Lord  and 
Master.  They  are  too  often  an  end  in  themselves, 
when  they  should  be  a  means  to  an  end.  They  should 
form  the  basis  of  operations.  From  them  should  go 
out  the  impulse  for  the  upbuilding  of  the  Kingdom. 
Personal  effort  is  supremely  necessary,  and  every 
possible  method  is  obligatory  which  will  effect  the 
object. 

Let  us  invoke  the  guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  that 
we  may  have  wisdom  to  plan  and  to  execute.  Let  us 
deepen  our  sense  of  duty  by  prayerful  waiting  upon 
God,  but  above  all  things  let  us  go  forward.  Let  us 
make  it  a  part  of  the  Twentieth  Century  Movement, 
not  simply  in  behalf  of  our  own  Church,  but,  above  all, 
in  behalf  of  the  multitude  of  the  unsaved. 


CHAPTER    II. 

©t)e  SUtion  of  tlje  General  Qtssemblg. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  General  Assembly  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  in  the  U.  S.  A.,  in  Philadelphia,  in 
May,  iqoi,  the  following  resolution  was  unanimously 
adopted  : 

"  Whereas,  It  is  the  obligation  of  the  Church  as  a 
missionary  organization  to  carry  the  message  of  salva- 
tion to  every  creature  ;  and 

'  *  Whereas,  To  this  end,  as  part  of  the  Forward 
Movement  of  the  Twentieth  Century,  evangelistic  ser- 
vices, so  called,  may  be  made,  with  the  Divine  blessing, 
a  powerful  and  efficient  factor,  especially  in  our  cities  ; 
therefore, 

"  Resolved,  That  the  Moderator  be  requested  and 
authorized  to  appoint  a  special  committee  of  twelve,  to 
consist  of  six  ministers  and  six  elders,  whose  duty  it 
shall  be  to  stimulate  the  churches  in  evangelistic  work  ; 
to  consider  the  methods  of  such  work  and  of  its  conduct 
in  relation  to  the  churches,  and  to  report  with  recom- 
mendations to  the  next  General  Assembly." 

CHAPTER  III. 

(ftlje  Committee  on  evangelistic  toork. 

In  accordance  with  the  resolution  adopted  by  the 
General  Assembly,  the  Moderator  appointed  as  the 
Committee  on  Evangelistic  Work: 

Mr.  John  H.  Converse,  Chairman, 

500  N.  Broad  Street,  Philadelphia.  Pa. 


Rev.  George  T.  Purves,  D.D., 

30  West  58th  Street,  New  York  City. 
Rev.  J.  Wilbur  Chapman,  D.D., 

631  West  End  Avenue,  New  York  City, 
Rev.  W.  J.  Chichester, 

Indiana  Avenue  and  21st  Street,  Chicago. 
Rev.  S.  S.  Palmer,  D.D., 

49  N.  Ohio  Avenue,  Columbus,  O. 
Rev.  John  Balcom  Shaw,  D.D., 

397  W.  104th  Street,  New  York  City. 
Rev.  George  P,  Wilson,  D.D., 

516  M  Street,  N.  W.,  Washington,  D.  C, 
Mr.  John  Willis  Baer, 

Tremont  Temple,  Boston,  Mass. 
Mr.  James  I,  Buchanan, 

Pittsburg,  Pa. 
Mr.  S.  P.  Harbison, 

Brighton  Road,  Allegheny,  Pa. 
Mr.  E.  A.  K.  Hackett, 

Fort  Wayne,  Ind. 
Mr.  Charles  S.  Holt, 

131  La  Salle  Street,  Chicago,  111. 

The  lamented  death  of  the  Reverend  Dr.  George  T. 
Purves  made  a  vacancy  on  the  Committee  which  the 
Moderator  of  the  General  Assembly  filled  by  the  ap- 
pointment of  the 

Rev.  J.  F.  Carson,  D.D., 

243  Jefferson  Avenue,  Brooklyn. 


11 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Statement  of  tlje  Committee. 

First— We  hope  to  be  able  with  your  help  to  stimu- 
late evangelistic  efforts  throughout  the  bounds  of  our  en- 
tire Church.  Such  work  we  believe  to  be  of  inestimable 
value,  and  at  the  same  time  we  realize  that  it  should  be 
carefully  regulated.  . 

Second — We  would  suggest,  wherever  it  is  possible, 
and  particularly  in  the  larger  cities,  that  summer  ser- 
vices be  conducted  after  the  manner  of  the  Philadelphia 
tent  campaign.  It  will  be  our  pleasure  to  furnish  you 
with  information  concerning  the  organization  necessary 
for  such  a  campaign. 

Third — We  also  suggest  that  great  good  might  be 
accomplished  by  special  conferences  arranged  for  pas- 
tors and  church  officers.  Such  gatherings  could  be  held 
in  the  fall,  possibly  in  connection  with  the  regular  meet- 
ing of  Presbyteries.  The  annual  meeting  of  the  mem- 
bers  of  the  New  York  Presbytery  at  Riverdale  has  been 
of  great  value  to  the  pastors  in  their  winter's  work.  The 
members  of  this  Committee  would  be  glad,  whenever  it 
is  possible,  to  attend  such  gatherings,  or  they  may,  in 
case  of  their  inability  to  be  present,  be  able  to  suggest 
the  names  of  those  whose  services  would  be  most  help- 
ful. 

Fourth — We  believe  that  a  time  of  great  spiritual 
blessing  is  just  before  the  Church,  and  we  desire  with 
you  to  make  this  year's  work  the  best  ever  known.  We 
are  prepared  to  suggest  to  you  for  your  consideration 
the  names  of  thoroughly  approved  and  successful  evan- 
gelists. 


In  order  to  assist  the  Committee  in  the  discharge  of 
its  duty,  suggestions  are  invited  as  to  what  may  be  done 
for  the  accomplishment  of  the  object  in  view,  and  infor- 
mation is  requested  as  to  methods  already  tried,  whether 
successful  or  otherwise,  and  as  to  the  requirements  to 
meet  local  conditions,  etc. 

If  we  can  do  anything  to  further  the  interests  of  our 
beloved  Church  in  general  and  yoUr  work  in  particular, 
please  command  us. 

CHAPTER  V. 

&l)e  ODtJtlook. 

By  the  Rev.  Francis  A.  Horton,  D.D. 
Temple  Presbyterian  Church,  Philadelphia. 

A  very  manifest  presence  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  rec- 
ognized by  us  all.  An  hour's  prayer  in  Philadelphia 
Presbytery  on  Monday  was  tender  with  the  Spirit's 
presence.  Another  will  be  held  on  next  Monday  (No- 
vember nth)  at  4  p.  m.,  just  to  hold  ourselves  before 
Him,  to  be  led,  empowered,  used.  I  am  sure  that  the 
day  of  the  "setting  up  a  standard"  has  come.  We 
must  rally  to  the  standard.  The  plan  of  battle  is  His. 
But  there  shall  be  fighting  all  along  the  line  and  the  Old 
Gospel  will  win.  I  cannot  say  more  than  this.  We  are 
calling  our  people  to  the  rallying  place.  We  are  looking 
for  the  coming  in  of  our  Leader.  We  are  ready  to  follow. 
This  is  our  attitude.  The  atmosphere,  clerically,  is  full 
of  spiritual  electricity,  diffused  sheet  lightning — it  shall 
be  collected,  we  believe,  soon,  into  flashes,  bolts.  When 
all  is  over  there  will  be  an  end  of  all  hostile  criticism  for 
a  long  period.  A  day  of  great  work  is  ahead  of  us.  Not 
far. 

13 


CHAPTER  VI. 

&!)£  (&uat  Sfeo  of  tlje  €l)urcl). 

By  The  Rev.  W.  F.  Dickens  Lewis,  M.  A. 
Rodney  Street   Presbyterian  Church,  Wilmington,  Del. 

From  time  immemorial  God  has  specially  manifested 
His  mighty  power  in  the  outpouring  of  His  Spirit  to  the 
Church.  The  Church  would  be  without  conspicuous 
mark  in  her  history  did  these  marked  seasons  of  grace 
remain  unwritten.  They  have  been  seasons  in  which 
the  graces  of  the  Christian  which  possessed  a  believer's 
heart  have  been  requickened,  relived  or  revived.  The 
direct  fruits  of  such  a  quickening  have  been  conversions 
into  righteousness  from  an  impenitent  world.  These 
seasons  of  manifestly  deep  power  and  grace  in  the 
Church  have  not  been  produced  by  any  mechanical 
evangelism  or  sensationalism.  They  have  not  been 
produced  by  letting  loose  all  the  powers  of  sympathy 
and  passion,  nor  by  exciting  the  nervous  system,  nor  by 
dethroning  the  will  power  and  judgment,  but  by  the 
church,  herself,  being  aroused  from  her  slumber  to  sup- 
ply the  need,  satisfy  the  want  or  replenish  the  dearth 
within  her. 

Perhaps  there  has  never  been  a  time  in  recent  years 
when  the  Church  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  has  been  in  so 
much  need  of  a  very  deep  awakening.  Many  good  men 
have,  in  their  lament  of  the  fact,  tried  to  explaiu  these 
times  of  torpor,  small  attendance  and  small  success.  We 
have  much  machinery,  culture,  money  and  organizations, 
but  they  are  bound  with  the  shackles  of  indifference  and 
a  seeming    palsy    has    smitten   them   with   impotence. 

14 


Sleep — whose  chief  characteristics  are  unconsciousness, 
indifference,  darkness  and  helplessness — has  seized 
steady  hold  upon  the  Church.  Sleep  not  aroused  be- 
comes death.  The  Church  when  she  deepens  in  her 
worldliness  soon  rots  away  or  else,  for  very  lack  of 
nourishment  goes  to  the  other  extreme  of  fanaticism  and 
insane  superstitions.  Religious  life  has  been  reduced 
to  a  very  low  ebb  in  some  places  of  Christendom  to-day. 
We  see  little  depth  of  religion  and  a  great  onrush  to 
religion's  ritualistic  externals.  There  has  been  much 
intense  earnestness  that  has  been  superficial.  The 
might  of  God  has  not  elevated  the  soul  nor  glowed  the 
heart  with  sacred  love.  We  say  the  Church  is  dead. 
We  summon  an  evangelist  to  come  to  revive  us.  His 
efforts  are  but  for  a  passing  moment.  What  is  the  mat- 
ter? Ah !  here  is  where  the  Church's  greatest  need  is  to- 
day, not  for  a  spasmodic  revival,  but  for  a  deepening  of 
that  ancient  power  and  an  awakening  in  long  neglected 
principles.  Many  busy  pastors,  who  know  and  love  the 
people  of  their  parishes  far  better  than  any  evangelist, 
will  attest  in  the  words  of  one  of  them  '  'that  the  eager- 
ness after  pleasure,  wide-spread  artistic  and  literary 
culture,  compromising  attitudes  to  worldly  materialism 
are  eating  the  very  life  out  of  thousands  in  our  churches, 
and  lowering  their  fervor,  so  that  we  see  a  deepening 
torpor  settling  down  on  quiet  corners,  a  passing  away 
of  grey  hairs  leaving  no  successors,  of  growing  difficul- 
ties and  lessened  power  to  meet  them  that  makes  you 
sometimes  almost  despair." 

The  crying  need  of  the  Church  to-day  is  the  solution 
of  this  problem.  She  is  able  to  do  it  if  she  hastens  back 
to  those  fundamentals  which  in  the  history  of  the   Re- 

15 


formed  churches  have  not  only  made  her  but  have :  laid 
their  imprimatur 'Upon  her  apostolic  power.  How  shall 
she  do  it? 

I.  Sin  has  got  into  the  church.  She  must  get  rid 
of  its  compromising  spirit,  rtot  by  advocating  a  state  of 
sinless  perfection  for  the  individual  life  of  the  Chris- 
tian. This  extreme  is  the  greatest  heresy  that  lays  hold 
on  the  life  of  anxious,  emotional  Christians.  But  by  ex- 
alting, the  lofty  character  of  God  and  bringing  back  to 
herself  the  consciousness  of  this  holy  presence.  *'He 
that  keepeth  Israel  shall  neither  slumber  nor  sleep." 
Steeped  in  worldliness  the  Church  has  lost  sight  and  has 
become  terribly  unconscious  of  the  Holy  Presence. 

There  is  a  levity  and  great  lack  of  deep  thoughtful 
reverence  in  pulpit  and  much  more  in  pew.  Par- 
ents have  lost  sight  of  God  and,  reflectively,  the  child 
loses  sight  of  reverence  for  its  parent.  Parental  author- 
ity is  beginning  to  lose  its  control  in  many  of  our  so- 
called  Christian  homes.  The  example  of  devout  piety 
by  the  head  of  a  Christian  household  is  becoming  almost 
in  some  churches  a  thing  of  the  past.  To  many  such 
the  Church  is  becoming  a  place  of  mental  entertainment, 
of  intellectual  attraction  instead  of  a  place  of  reverential 
worship  and  deepened  communion  with  Christ.  There 
is  no  deep  sense  of  the  heinousness  of  sin  and  the  maj- 
esty of  God.  Religion  is  a  fitful  sort  of  life,  a  variation 
of  mental  excitement  and  insensibility  to  all  such. 

II.  Worldliness  has  got  into  the  Church  and  is 
making  terrible  inroads  upon  her  sacred  precincts.  It  is 
manifest  everywhere  in  her  worship,  in  her  organized 
Christian  work  and  in  her  corporate  life.  Not  all  the 
members  of  the  Christian  Church  participate  in  the  ex- 

16 


ercises  or  the  worship.  Many  of  our  churches  expect 
paid  choirs  to  do  the  work  in  this  one  single  matter  for 
them.  We  are  not  disparaging  paid  choirs.  Far  from  it! 
We  only  wish  that  every  member  of  the  quartet  of  these 
churches  in  which  they  are  paid  was  a  devout,  earnest, 
thoughtful  Christian.  In  this  act  of  common  worship 
there  is  an  unquestionable  benefit.  Music  always  unites 
those  who  sing  together.  Music  is  one  of  the  handmaids 
of  religion  and  a  church  that  eschews  its  right  and  proper 
use  will  be  sure  to  be  a  "cold  and  stunted  member  of  the 
Body  of  Christ."  But  here  is  where  the  influence  of  the 
world  is  seen  in  direct  bearing  on  Christian  worship.  A 
church  that  does  not  sing  is  a  dead  church.  What  sad- 
der spectacle  and  greater  mark  of  spiritual  death  is 
there  than  a  church  in  which  a  congregation  silently  sits 
and  listens  to  a  performance  rendered  by  chon  from  a 
musical  point  of  view  artistically  whilst  the  tune  wanders 
around,  lonely  and  unbef  riended  by  the  people  who  have 
lost  the  social,  helpful  and  edifying  power  of  making 
melody  in  the  hearts  unto  the  Lord.  There  are  many 
people  incapable  of  making  a  false  note,  with  voices 
sweet  as  a  bird,  who  because  of  a  deep,  pious,  Christian 
life,  make  you  share  their  heart  throbs  and  you  are 
lifted  out  of  yourself  into  a  heavenly  place.  Why?  The 
grace  of  God  and  the  experience  of  a  deep  life  is  in  the 
singer's  heart.  Happy  is  the  church  that  has  such  an 
one  as  that  in  its  paid  choir,  and  happy  the  pastor  who 
has  not  been  affected  by  the  materialistic  dross  of  the 
world  on  this  vital  point  of  the  Church's  worship,  and 
happier  still  the  pastor  who  has  a  singing  congregation. 
It,  therefore,  follows  that  the  music  of  the  sanctuary 
should  be  such  as  all  would  join  in  it  to  the  b<_* 

*7 


powers.  "  The  cadences  of  hymn  and  chant  and  psalm 
should  be  but  the  vocal  and  harmonious  outflow  of  an 
inner  experience  in  a  stream  of  music."  Martin  Luther 
was  wont  to  say,  "The  Devil  hates  a  hymn,  but  likes 
music."  He  never  said  a  truer  aphorism  than  that. 
Many  a  pastor  can  affirm  its  truth.  Spiritual  life  mani- 
fests itself  by  spiritual  activities,  and  a  Christian  Church 
that  with  enthusiasm  performs  this  part  of  her  worship 
will  go  far  to  rid  herself  of  the  frost  that  has  fettered  her 
springs  of  action.  Thus  have  we  limited  and  restrained 
the  power  of  the  Holy  One  of  Israel.  Our  Church  must 
get  back  to  her  fundamental  principles  in  this  respect. 

By  unconscious  compromise  with  the  world  we  have 
deteriorated  from  apostolic  power  by  making  less  of  sin 
and  selling  our  birthright  to  the  insidious  worldly  un- 
dercurrents in  the  Church,  we  have  become  despiritual- 
ized,  and  we  have  tried  to  repair  the  disease  by  sudden 
galvanic  shocks  or  "  arbitrary  jets  and  spurts  of  Divine 
power,"  and  in  an  intense  earnestness  in  this  matter  we 
have  neglected  to  go  to  the  root  of  the  whole  matter. 
Memory  recalls  it!  Deluded  souls  in  life's  record-book 
daguerreotype  it!  A  defrauded  eternity  and  the  con- 
scious presence  of  God  neglected  in  the  facts  of  daily  ex- 
perience tell  it !  Every  department  of  life  bears  emphatic 
witness  to  the  truth  that  a  sentimental,  maudling,  enfee- 
bling idea  of  religion  has  seized  hold  of  men's  minds 
because  the  church  has  through  sin,  worldliness,  leth- 
argy, indifference  and  popular  usage  drifted  from  her 
moorings.  ■  ■  Ye  are  not  straitened  in  Me,  ye  are  strait- 
ened in  yourselves." 

III.  The  question  here  suggests  itself.  What  is 
the  best  way  for  a  parish  to  be  evangelized?  Many 
18 


methods  and  instrumentalities  may  be  adapted  to  differ 
ent  parishes,  but  the  writer  has  found  without  diminish- 
ing the  effect  or  the  work  of  a  traveling  evangelist  that 
no  one  can  so  well  adapt  the  truth  to  his  people  as  the 
pastor  in  his  office  of  an  evangelist.  Revivals  of 
religion  in  our  Calvinistic  system  are  not  "gotten  up." 
They  come  down  and  are  born  of  God. 

With  a  prepared  Church  whose  members  are  not 
drowned  in  worldliness  on  the  one  hand  or  enthused 
with  fanaticism  on  the  other  hand,  the  pastor  can  bring 
the  Church  as  "light  and  salt"  into  the  world  and  the 
world  in  penitence  to  the  Church  that  has  been  redeemed 
with  the  blood  of  her  Lord  and  Master.  Some  things  of 
great  pith  and  moment  suggest  themselves  for  the  Church 
to  be  prepared  for  the  work  of  evangelism. 

I.  Let  the  method  of  family  worship  and  the 
broken  altars  in  our  Christian  homes  be  restored.  When 
we  lose  sense  of  God  in  our  homes  can  we  expect  to  find 
Him  in  the  sanctuary  ?  No,  never !  Nothing  so  purifies, 
elevates  and  sweetens  society  and  saves  it  from  worldly 
indifference  to  religious  truths  and  principles  as  this. 
No  day  thus  begun  or  closed  can  pass  unhallowed.  It 
is  a  blessed  custom  whether  the  prayer  is  read  or  ex- 
temporized, and  brings  with  it  a  sweet  benediction. 
With  it,  evangelism  is  a  power ;  without  it,  it  is  a  failure. 

II.  A  greater  regard  for  the  sanctity  of  the  Lords 
Day.  The  writer  is  not  a  Sabbatarian,  nor  desires  to 
put  an  embargo  upon  the  legitimate  pleasures  of  life, 
but  when  the  Christian  Church  lowers  the  standard, 
when  the  body  of  believers  is  indifferent  to  the  claims 
of  God's  holy  day,  are  we  to  be  surprised  that  the  world 
should  forget  the  worths  hip  {worship)  of  God  and  in 

*9 


dulge  in  golf  and  dinner  parties,  heedless  of  the  result, 
on  the  Lord's  Day  ? 

III.  The  catechumen  class  should  be  revived,  in 
which  instruction  in  the  principles  of  our  holy  religion 
should  be  given  to  the  youth  of  the  Church,  that,  as  a 
result  of  it,  they  might  be  confirmed  into  it,  a  term 
used  by  John  Calvin,  but  lost  by  us.  Many  a  man  in 
the  experience  of  his  life  can  date  back  the  deep  change 
of  and  first  steps  of  godly  pious  religion  in  his  life  to 
this  class.  Religion  is  a  life  and  a  gradual  growth,  not 
merely  a  spasmodic,  passing,  mechanical  emotion. 

IV.  The  Church  is  thus  prepared.  She  is  then 
equipped  for  personal  work  and  for  multiplied  victories. 
The  pastor  of  that  church  is  ready  for  evangelistic  work. 
Let  him  call  in  a  brother  pastor  who  is  as  active  as  he  is 
in  the  pastorate.  Let  that  brother  pastor  preach  whilst 
the  minister  is  among  the  people,  seeking  them  from 
house  to  house.  An  active  pastor  is  the  very  best  man 
for  fully  organized  churches,  with  officers  and  minis- 
ters, for  the  work  of  evangelism.  Traveling  evangel- 
ists are  for  waste  and  destitute  places. 

CHAPTER  VII. 

®l)e  Betriual  Neefteb. 

By  the  Rev.  J.  F.  Carson,  D.D. 
A  revival  means  the  quickening  of  life.  The  idea  of 
revival  is  associated  with  the  salvation  of  men.  That  is 
the  result  of  a  revival,  but  it  is  not  the  revival  itself.  A 
revival  is  the  awakening  of  an  existent,  but  dormant  life. 
It  can  be  predicated  only  of  God's  people.  Their  graces 
and  activities  are  quickened,  and  as  a  result,  sinners  are 


converted.  When  you  get  the  Church  right,  there  will 
be  no  doubt  about  conversions.  There  is  need  of  a  re- 
vival that  will  begin  with  the  minister  and  end  not  till 
it  has  touched  the  most  obscure  member  of  the  church . 
The  revival  needed  is  five-fold.  First,  there  must 
be  a  revival  of  the  faith  of  the  Church.  I  do  not  mean  a 
quickening  of  faith  in  the  sense  of  belief  in  the  Word  of 
God  and  its  great  doctrines.  Here  and  there,  there 
may  be  some  doubt  of  these,  but  on  the  whole,  the  Church 
has  as  strong  a  hold  upon  the  Scriptures  to-day  as  she 
ever  had.  There  is  no  doctrinal  unsoundness  pervading 
and  paralyzing. the  Church.  Error  has  not  touched  the 
Church  with  its  palsied  hand.  The  great  doctrines  of  sin 
and  its  atonement,  life  and  its  regeneration,  death  and  its 
judgment  are  being  preached;  the  cross  and  the  tomb 
and  the  throne  of  the  Redeemer  are  witnessed  to  as 
faithfully  as  was  done  in  the  apostolic  days.  But  the 
Church  has  not  the  apostolic  statistics  to  recite.  These 
are  apostolic  statistics:  "The  Lord  added  to  the  Church 
daily  such  as  should  be  saved ; "  "A  great  number  be- 
lieved ; "  "  Believers  were  added  to  the  Lord,  multitudes 
both  of  men  and  women;"  "The  same  day  there  were 
added  about  three  thousand  souls;"  "Many  of  them 
which  heard  the  Word  believed,  and  the  number  of  the 
men  was  about  five  thousand;"  "And  all  that  dwelt  at 
Lydda  and  Saron  turned  unto  the  Lord."  These  are 
apostolic  statistics.  They  can  be  repeated.  They  are 
not  duplicated  to-day  because,  for  one  thing,  the 
Church  has  not  the  faith  that  believes  in  and  counts  on 
the  God  of  Pentecost  to  save  the  lost  and  to  quicken  the 
dead  souls  into  life.  The  Church  has  come  to  depend  too 
much  on  her  splendid  machinery  and  not  enough  on  the 

21 


Spirit  of  God.  She  has  come  to  look  for  the  gradual  de- 
velopment of  the  spiritual  life  rather  than  for  its  sponta- 
neous begetting  by  the  incoming  of  the  Spirit  of  God. 
Transformation  has  taken  the  place  of  regeneration  in 
her  theory  of  work,  if  not  in  her  theology.  Moral  evolu- 
tion, rather  than  spiritual  revolution,  is  what  the  Church 
has  been  counting  on.  She  needs  a  revival  of  the  old 
faith  in  the  need  and  the  power  of  the  Spirit  of  God  to 
regenerate  and  save. 

PERSONAL  RESPONSIBILITY. 

There  must  be,  in  the  second  place,  a  revival  of  the 
sense  of  personal  responsibility.  I  believe  that  the  re- 
deemed stand  between  God  and  lost  men,  and  I  believe 
that  because  of  the  teachings  of  Jesus.  **  It  is  expedient 
for  you  that  I  go  away,  for  if  I  go  not  away,  the  Com- 
forter will  not  come  unto  you ;  but  if  I  depart,  I  will  send 
Him  to  you.  And  when  He  is  come,  He  will  reprove  the 
world  of  sin,  and  of  righteousness,  and  of  judgment." 

God  sent  His  Son  to  the  world  and  the  world  re- 
jected Him  and  maltreated  Him  and  put  Him  to  death, 
and  the  world  would  treat  His  Spirit  in  the  same  way. 
Hence,  God  has  not  sent  His  Spirit  to  the  world,  but  to 
those  who  are  called  out  of  the  world.  Jesus  said,  when 
the  Spirit  is  come  unto  you,  He  will  convince  the  world. 
The  Spirit  comes  to  the  world  only  through  the  people  of 
God.  If  that  be  so,  then  every  redeemed  man  and 
woman,  every  one  in  whom  the  Spirit  of  God  dwells, 
stands  between  the  lost  man  and  the  Saviour  of  lost  men. 
Not  all  believers  realize  that  fact.  There  are  thousands 
who  fill  our  pews  every  Sabbath  who  never  think  that 
they  sustain  any  relation  whatever  to  the  unsaved  or 
22 


have  any  responsibility  for  their  salvation.  There  are 
many  ministers  who  feel  that  their  responsibility  ends 
with  the  immediate  work  of  their  own  churches.  If  that  be 
so,  then  there  are  multitudes  in  every  city  who  are  as 
sheep  without  shepherds,  and  there  is  still  occasion  for 
Christ  to  weep  in  compassion  over  the  multitudes.  Re- 
sponsibility rests  somewhere.  If  A  is  not  responsible, 
then  neither  is  B.  If  the  church  to  which  C  ministers  is 
not  responsible,  then  neither  is  the  church  of  D.  If  A, 
B,  C  and  D  can  shift  responsibility,  then  who  may  not? 
If  it  is  not  our  business  to  reach  the  unsaved  with  the 
gospel,  then  whose  business  is  it  ?  The  very  genius  of 
Christianity  puts  the  responsibility  for  the  unsaved  on 
every  saved  man.  O,  for  that  sense  of  personal  respon- 
sibility that  will  send  the  saved  men  and  women  of  our 
churches  into  society  as  converting  forces. 

A  REVIVAL  OF  LOVE. 

This  sense  of  responsibility  must  not  have  about  it 
any  badge  of  officialism.  It  must  be  hearty  and  heart- 
ful.  Hence  a  third  need  is  a  quickening  of  love  for  men. 
Love  is  power  in  Christian  service.  I  know  that  our 
age  has  put  the  emphasis  upon  intellectuality  and  the 
Church  has  caught  much  of  the  spirit  of  the  age.  I  do 
not  minimize  the  intellectual.  If  there  be  any  field  of 
service  which  demands  the  very  highest  mental  culture, 
it  is  the  evangelistic.  But  I  would  magnify  the  spiritual. 
I  believe  that  brain  power  has  been  tremendously  over- 
rated as  a  force  in  Christian  work.  I  do  not  know  of  a 
church  that  is  dying  or  languishing  because  of  a  spiritual 
pulpit.  I  know  of  a  number  of  churches  which,  if  not 
dead,  are  living  at  a  poor  dying  rate,  because  the  intel- 

23 


lectual  has  supplanted  the  spiritual  in  the  pulpit.  Truth 
aimed  at  the  intellect  is  a  ray  of  light  shot  into  a  bright 
place.  But  truth  aimed  at  the  heart  is  a  ball  of  fire,  car 
rying  heat  as  well  as  light  into  a  magazine  of  power.  It 
is  the  lodging  of  truth  in  the  heart  that  counts.  The 
only  force  that  can  place  truth  in  the  heart  is  heart- 
power.  You  cannot  reason  men  into  the  kingdom  of 
God,  you  must  love  them  in.  I  have  sometimes  thought 
that  there  would  be  a  great  revival  in  our  land  and  mul- 
titudes would  be  swept  into  the  kingdom  of  Christ  if 
one-half  of  the  brain  of  the  church  was  converted  into 
heart.  By  heart,  I  mean  that  passion,  that  divine  love, 
which  moved  God  to  send  His  Son,  and  which  moved 
His  Son  to  come  so  far  and  to  stoop  so  low  and  to  suffer 
so  much  that  lost  men  might  be  saved  O.  for  the  quick- 
ening of  love,  of  passion  for  souls,  of  earnestness.  John 
Angel  James  said  long  ago:  "What  is  wanted,  and  all 
that  is  wanted,  is  an  earnest  ministry  and  an  earnest 
church."  A  writer  on  the  Apostolic  Church  said  :  "  One 
reason  why  the  apostles  had  such  power  wherever  they 
went  was  that  they  were  hot  all  over  and  all  the  time, 
and  everywhere  men  caught  fire  at  their  sacred  touch." 
That  is  the  need  of  the  Church  to-day.  There  is  too 
much  of  chill  on  pulpit  and  pew.  Drowsy  men  are  put- 
ting forth  drowsy  efforts  in  church  work.  If  the  men 
who  occupy  the  church  pews  on  Sunday  were  as  apa- 
thetic and  cold  in  business  on  Monday  and  Tuesday  and 
through  the  week  as  they  are  in  church  work,  many  of 
the  business  houses  and  moneyed  institutions  of  our  land 
would  be  in  the  hands  of  the  receiver  within  a  month. 
And  if  the  men  at  the  heads  of  the  departments  in  your 
business  were  not  any  more   intense  in  their  work   than 

24 


many  of  the  ministers  at  the  head  of  our  churches,  you 
would  not  keep  yiem  in  your  employment  twenty-four 
hours.  This  is  not  criticism.  It  is  an  appeal  for  earnest- 
ness in  pew  and  pulpit.  It  is  just  here  that  the  Church 
hesitates  in  her  desire  for  a  revival.  There  is  a  strange 
fear  of  earnestness,  of  excitement,  of  enthusiasm  in  re- 
ligion. Men  tell  us  they  fear  reaction.  Would  that  men 
were  as  much  afraid  of  religious  torpidity  as  they  are  of 
religious  excitement.  Would  that  they  deprecated  exist- 
ing sinful  inaction  as  much  as  they  do  possible  reaction. 
For  the  fear  of  reaction  the  Church  has  come  to  counte- 
nance no  action.  Three  thousand  five  hundred  and  ten 
churches  in  two  of  the  great  denominations  of  this  coun- 
try reporting  no  conversions!  Horace  Bushnell  was 
right:  "  The  man  who  expects  to  carry  the  cause  of  sal- 
vation by  a  steady  rolling  on  the  same  dead  level,  and 
fears  continually  lest  the  axles  wax  hot  and  kindle  into 
a  flame,  is  too  timorous  to  hold  the  reins  of  the  Lord's 
chariot."  The  time  has  come  for  more  courageous 
drivers.  My  prayer  is  for  a  revival  of  earnestness,  for 
natures  aroused,  for  faculties  afire,  for  religion  at  white 
heat,  for  a  goodness  that  sparkles.  The  missionary 
Brainard  used  to  cry  out,  •*  O,  that  I  was  a  flame  of  fire 
in  the  hand  of  my  God."  Dr.  Mason  said  that  Dr. 
Chalmer's  power  lay  in  his  "blood  earnestness."  This 
is  the  need  of  the  Church  of  to-day,  the  need  of  the  pulpit 
and  of  the  pew,  an  intense,  earnest  spirit. 

A  REVIVAL  OF  HOLINESS. 

Backing  up  this  earnest  spirit  and  giving  it  force 
there  must  be  holiness  of  life.  This  is  the  fourth  need  of 
the  Church,   a  revival  of  personal  righteousness.     The 

25 


Church  is  not  going  into  the  world  to  win  men  to  Christ 
because  the  world  has  been  coming  into  the  Church. 
When  men  of  the  world  come  into  our  churches  and  find 
there  the  worldly  spirit,  they  are  not  won.  They  conclude 
that  the  Church  has  nothing  to  give  them.  The  Church 
is  strong  as  a  converting  force  only  when  there  is  a  broad 
line  of  separation  between  its  life  and  the  life  of  the 
world.  The  mightiest  force  for  moving  men  Christward 
is  a  regenerated  and  transfigured  life.  The  gospel 
translated  into  holy  living  is  the  gospel  of  power.  What 
Emerson  said  in  regard  to  eloquence  is  true  in  the  mat- 
ter of  witnessing  to  Christ:  "There  is  no  true  eloquence 
unless  there  is  a  man  behind  the  speech."  There  must 
be  a  saved  man  behind  the  offer  of  salvation.  It  is  the 
life  moulded  and  developed  and  empowered  by  the  in- 
dwelling Spirit  of  God  that  has  power.  When  the  indi- 
vidual members  of  the  Church  are  thus  Spirit-filled  and 
Spirit-controlled,  the  united  power  of  the  Church  will  be 
irresistible. 

A  REVIVAL  OF   PRAYER. 

Fifth,  there  must  be  a  revival  of  the  prayer  spirit. 
Dr.  Arthur  T.  Pierson  has  written  :  "All  great  epochs  of 
spiritual  activity  have  been  circles  with  one  center — 
Prayer."  The  work  of  John  Wesley,  resulting  in  mod- 
ern Methodism,  had  its  origin  in  the  prayers  of  the  holy 
club  in  Lincoln  College,  Oxford.  All  the  revivals  that 
have  blessed  the  Church  and  the  world  have  been  the  re- 
sult of  prayer.  If  the  secret  of  all  the  spiritual  move- 
ments that  have  blessed  the  world  could  be  learned,  it 
would  be  found  that  some  intercessor  had  been  in  the 
secret  place  with  God,  laboring  fervently,  striving,  ago- 
26 


nizing  in  prayer.  What  Mr.  Neesima,  of  Japan,  said  to 
his  fellow  workers  when  planning  an  evangelistic  tour,  is 
the  message  that  needs  to  ring  through  our  Church: — 
"Advance  on  your  knees." 

This  is  the  revival  we  need.  A  revival  of  faith  and 
conscience  and  love  and  earnestness  and  holiness  and 
prayer,  that  will  awaken  the  Church  and  send  her  forth  to 
fulfill  her  divine  mission  in  the  world. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

toljat  is  ODnr  ftotner? 

By  The  Rev.  Thomas  A.  McCurdy,  D.D., 
Central  Presbyterian  Church,  Wilmington,  Del. 

This  is  the  question  of  many  an  earnest  Christian 
worker.  The  writer  has  met  it  frequently,  and  answered, 
"The  Holy  Spirit  is  our  power,"  a  fact  always  admitted ; 
but  the  questioners  seemed  perplexed  and  anxious 
for  some  analysis  or  explanation  which  would  give  them 
a  clearer  intellectual  apprehension  of  its  truth.  Without 
ever  calling  in  question  the  personality  and  work  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  I  have  been  asked,  •«  Can  you  not  give 
some  other  form  of  an  answer  which  would  help  us  to 
grasp  your  meaning  more  clearly  ?  We  want  power ; 
and  can  you  not  tell  us  what  power  is — what  it  is  spe- 
cifically and  definitely  as  a  possession  ?  "  These  strong 
appeals  of  hearts  yearning  to  be  successful  soul-winners 
are  responsible  for  the  answer  which  I  propose  to  give. 

In  these  times  when  the  spirit  of  evangelism  is 
awaking  and  when  the  Church  is  burdened,  as  never  be- 
fore, with  anxiety  for  the  unsaved,  it  is  well  to  grasp  our 
power  and  work  mightily  for  God.  The  question  shapes 
27 


itself  into  more  than  ordinary  significance.  It  is  the 
question  for  the  minister  in  his  study,  in  his  pulpit,  and 
in  his  pastoral  work ;  and  it  is  the  question  for  the  Sabbath 
School  teacher  and  for  all  the  members  of  the  Church. 
*'  O,  for  Power,"  is  the  cry  of  the  heart  in  the  presence 
of  great  human  need.  It  is  heard  in  every  convention 
of  Christian  workers;  in  all  conferences  about  a  revival 
of  religion  ;  and  in  all  considerations  of  the  meagre 
growth  of  the  Church  in  piety,  in  numbers,  and  in  Chris- 
tian beneficence.  Every  condition  adverse  to  the  ef- 
ficiency of  the  Church  as  a  witness  for  God,  and  as  a 
depository  of  all  of  our  Lord's  agencies  for  the  conver- 
sion of  men  and  for  the  evangelization  of  the  world  is 
referred  to  the  absence  of  Power.  Things  are  as  they 
are  because  we  have  not  the  Power.  "  O,  for  Power  !" 
"O,  for  more  Power!"  "Tell  us  what  Power  is, 
and  how  to  get  it!  " 

I  do  not  profess  to  be  wiser  than  my  brethren ;  but 
I  sympathize  with  those  who  feel  their  need  of  some 
specific  and  clear-cut  answer  to  this  question  which 
would  commend  itself  to  their  intellectual  appre- 
hension of  the  truth,  and  to  their  spiritual  experience  of 
its  value.  I  am  not  going  to  define  power  now  except 
by  implication  ;  nor  am  I  going  to  philosophize  about  it ; 
nor  to  hold  it  up  as  something  invisible  and  intangible, 
in  and  beyond  the  skies ;  nor  as  a  mysterious  gift  and 
influence  on  which  we  must  wait;  on  the  contrary,  I  af- 
firm that  power  with  God  and  man  is  an  unused  force, 
and  all  complaints  about  our  want  of  power  and  ejacu- 
lations for  more  power  are  like  a  man's  entreaties  of  his 
friends  for  money  to  meet  an  obligation  when  he  has 
the  money  to  his  credit  in  the  bank. 


We  have  power;  and  it  is  ample,  full,  complete,  un- 
varying, constant  and  adequate  to  all  conditions  of 
need.  We  never  will  have  more  power  in  quantity, 
What  we  have  is  unmeasurable  in  its  measure ;  inex- 
haustible in  its  fullness:  and  in  adequacy,  is  away  be- 
yond human  need.  It  consists  of  three  things:  First, 
the  Gospel.  The  Apostle  Paul  calls  the  Gospel  "  the 
power  of  God  unto  salvation."  It  not  only  emanates 
from  God,  but  God  is  in  it.  He  has  centered  His 
thoughts  in  its  words,  and  these  words  retain  their 
power.  They  meet  fully  all  the  needs  of  the  human 
heart.  Some  people  tell  us  that  the  Gospel  has  done  its 
work, — that  the  world  has  outgrown  it.  Nay,  the 
world  has  not  yet  grown  up  to  it.  The  Gospel  is  away 
in  advance  of  all  human  need.  Co-workers  with  God 
are  able  to  lead  the  forlorn  and  the  hopeless  wretch  out 
of  self  and  into  Christ;  they  are  able  to  show  him  the 
provisions  made  to  meet  the  case  of  the  helpless,  and  to 
guide  him  step  by  step,  till  he  claims  Christ  as  his  all 
sufficient  Saviour,  who  is  able  to  save  him  to  the  utter- 
most. Whatever  the  sum  total  of  Power  is,  the  Gospel 
is  one  of  its  factors ;  and  having  the  Gospel  we  have  at 
least  that  much  of  Power.  Secondly:  We  have  the 
permanent  and  abiding  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  "  And 
1  will  pray  the  Father,  and  He  shall  give  you  another 
Comforter,  that  He  may  abide  with  you  forever."  The 
manner  of  His  operations  may  vary,  and  the  diversity 
of  His  gifts  may  mark  strongly  His  work;  but  the 
realty  of  His  abiding  presence  and  energy  is  a  continu- 
ous force.  This  fact  underlies  greater  works  in 
this  dispensation  than  were  done  during  our  Lord's 
earthly  ministry.  We  are  disposed  to  think,  and  some- 
29 


times  to  believe,  that  Pentecost  marks  the  highest  tide 
ever  reached  by  the  Holy  Spirit's  work  on  earth.  But 
we  are  mistaken.  It  was  but  the  beginning,  in  the  new 
dispensation,  of  the  mighty  flood  that  is  rising  in  waves 
of  super-abounding  grace.  On  that  day  the  sum  total  of 
the  Spirit's  work  was  confined  to  Jerusalem;  now  the 
Spirit's  work  is  over  all  the  world.  Mass  together  in 
some  modern  Jerusalem  all  of  the  works  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  in  all  the  world,  and  Pentecost  would  fall  greatly 
in  the  comparison,  The  great  things  accomplished;  the 
greater  things  being  accomplished  ;  and  the  greater 
things  yet  to  be  accomplished  are  the  works  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  who,  as  the  ascension  gift  of  our  Redeemer, 
is  the  reality  of  abiding  energy  in  the  Church.  What- 
ever, therefore,  the  sum  total  of  power  is,  the  abiding 
Spirit  is  another  of  its  factors ;  and  having  the  abiding 
Spirit  we  have  that  much  more  of  power. 

Thirdly:  We  have  the  Enthroned  Redeemer.  "  Lo, 
I  am  with  you  alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world." 
Our  eyes  must  not  be  fixed  less  on  Calvary,  but  more  on 
theThrone;  not  less  on  our  sacrifice  for  sin,  but  more  on 
the  prevalent  intercession  of  our  great  High  Priest ;  not 
less  on  our  Lord's  ministry  and  suffering,  but  more  on 
what  He  is  now  doing  in  the  world.  The  base  of  His  opera- 
tions is  transferred  from  Judea  to  Heaven,  and  from 
Calvary  to  the  Throne  of  the  Kingdom.  It  was  on 
Calvary  He  cried,  ' '  Finished ;  "  but  it  is  on  the  Throne 
He  cries,  "  I  am  with  you  alway."  Our  Lord's  activity 
was  not  limited  to  the  days  of  His  unglorified  flesh.  He 
is  with  us,  and  confirming  His  works  and  promises  "by 
signs  following  "  as  truly  as  when  the  speaking  of  the 
dumb  and  the  walking  of  the  lame  confirmed  His  mira- 

30 


cles.     He  is  with  us  in  the  wholeness  and  fullness  of 
His  might. 

I  am  now  ready  to  define  power — the  thing  longed 
for — the  thing  which  Christians  confess  they  need,  and 
wait  in  some  dreamy  state  of  mind  expecting  it  to  come 
to  them  in  some  way  and  at  some  time  as  a  special  gift 
from  on  high.  They  even  speak  of  being  "  filled  "  and 
"  infilled '  and  made  "full  "  of  special  divine  influence, 
as  if  these  terms  implied  that  there  was  some  mechani- 
cal device  for  their  receiving  such  influence,  whereas 
these  terms  only  express  different  manifestations  of  the 
same  power  already  in  possession. 

Power,  therefore,  the  power  of  the  Church  and  of 
the  Christian  consists  of  three  things,  viz.,  The  Gospel  ; 
The  Abiding  Spirit  ;  and  The  Enthroned  Redeemer ; — 
the  Gospel, — a  message  to  proclaim  and  to  live;  the 
Abiding  Spirit, — a  gift  to  receive  and  to  use ;  the  En- 
throned Redeemer, — a  Personality  to  trust.  That  is 
power ;  and  I  submit,  if  these  lamentations,  •  *  O,  for 
Power ;  for  more  Power ! " — as  if  they  were  longings  of 
souls  in  deep  contrition — are  not  sins  against  the  love 
which  has  already  put  at  our  disposal  the  force  with 
which  to  remove  mountains  and  to  raise  the  dead. 

The  use  of  this  power  is  by  faith — faith  in  the  Gos- 
pel ;  faith  in  the  Spirit's  real  and  abiding  presence;  and 
faith  in  the  Enthroned  Redeemer.  This  faith  is  not  of 
the  waiting  kind,  but  of  the  actively  obedient  kind ;  and 
with  such  a  faith  failure  in  any  work  for  God  is  ultimately 
impossible.  If  we  lose  the  hold  on  our  power,  of  course 
we  shall  fail  ;  but  an  actively  obedient  faith  will  not  lose 
its  hold.  It  will  lead  us  on  with  our  Isaacs  to  Moriah, 
where  we  shall  behold  undisclosed  wonders    of    the 

31 


Lamb.  We  can  have  no  power  except  when  we  tise  the 
power  God  has  given  us.  What  is  the  Gospel  for,  and 
the  reality  of  the  abiding  presence  of  the  Spirit ;  and 
the  Enthroned  Redeemer  ?  Great  facts  of  the  Christian 
system  to  be  admired,  or  great  forces  to  be  used  in  the 
Christian  life  ? 

But  how  will  an  actively  obedient  faith  use  this 
power  ?  By  preaching  the  Gospel  in  a  way  that  will  en- 
fold human  need  and  God's  great  readiness  and  ability 
to  supply  that  need;  by  yielding  ourselves  to  the  Spirit's 
guidance  in  personal  work ;  and  by  an  implicit  trust  in 
our  Enthroned  Redeemer.  But  behind  all  this,  and  in 
conjunction  with  all  this,  there  must  be  the  burning  con- 
viction that  we  are  "laborers  together  wiih  God,"  and 
fruit-bearers  of  the  Spirit's  graces,  and  "  partners"  with 
Christ  in  all  the  work  of  God  in  saving  men.  This  is 
the  whole  machinery,  Every  wheel  and  cog  is  of 
Divine  mechanism — and  in  motion,  cog  fits  cog.  We 
are  to  do  God's  work;  to  keep  our  contract  of  partner- 
ship with  Christ;  to  yield  ourselves  wholly  to  the  guid- 
ance of  the  Spirit ;  and  this  done— from  the  obdurate 
heart  will  come  the  image  of  Christ,  and  from  the 
masses  who  worship  not  will  come  worshippers,  and 
from  our  power  used  will  come  the  rain  of  heaven  upon 
the  mown  grass,  and  the  dew  upon  the  tender  herb,  and 
a  church  will  revolutionize  its  life  by  another  life  dis- 
tinguished by  its  use  of  power  already  in  possession. 
Answer  our  own  prayers  for  the  unsaved  by  taking  to 
them  some  sweet  message  of  the  Gospel  and  urging 
them  to  receive  it.  Answer  our  own  prayers  for  those 
without  by  going  to  them  in  the  Master's  name  and  bring- 
ing them  to  the  house  of  God.     Answer  our  own  prayers 

?2 


for  heathen  children  in  the  streets  by  going  and  bringing 
them  into  our  classes  in  the  Sabbath  School.  Answer  our 
own  prayers  for  the  church  to  be  filled  with  worshipper:  s 
by  filling  our  own  places  in  the  church  morning,  evening 
and  midweek,  and  by  bringing  others  with  us.  Answer 
our  own  prayers  by  putting  ourselves  into  the  hands  of  the 
Spirit  as  instruments  for  Christ,  and  as  such  working  in 
the  only  work  which  can  add  dignity  and  honor  and 
joy  to  man,  and  bring  infinite  glory  to  God. 

CHAPTER   IX. 

91  flresbsterial  Conference. 

For  several  years  the  Presbytery  of  New  York  has 
held  a  conference  for  the  deepening  of  the  spiritual  life  of 
its  members.  The  Conference  has  drawn  the  ministers 
together  in  closest  sympathy,  has  enriched  their  own 
religious  experiences  and  has  awakened  among  them  an 
earnest  desire  to  lead  others  to  the  enjoyment  of  the 
same  rich  blessings.  Believing  that  a  Conference  which 
has  been  so  fruitful  in  good  in  one  of  our  Presbyteries, 
will  prove  a  blessing  to  others,  we  furnish  a  brief  outline 
of  the  methods  of  organization  as  a  suggestion  to  Pres- 
byteries. The  Conference  is  held  the  second  week  in 
November,  opening  on  Monday  at  noon  and  closing  on 
Wednesday  afternoon,  in  time  for  the  pastors  ro  return 
to  their  midweek  services.  The  place  of  meeting  is  a 
small  summer  hotel  situated  at  Riverdale,  which  is 
within  the  city  limits  but  about  ten  miles  above  its 
crowded  district.  The  Conference,  coming  just  prior  to 
the  closing  of  the  hotel  for  the  winter,  has  practically 
the  freedom  of  the  house  and  grounds. 

33 


All  the  pastors  are  invited— the  Presbytery  in  this 
being  too  large  to  include  those  without  charges — ■ 
and  each- minister  is  expected  to  remain  till  the  close  of 
the  Conference  and  to  pay  his  own  expenses  at  the  hotel. 
A  small  fund  is  raised  by  the  Committee  in  charge,  to 
defray  incidental  expenses  and  to  pay  for  the  enter- 
tainment of  some  who  might  otherwise  find  it  impossible 
to  attend. 

There  is  no  set  method  of  conducting  the  Confer- 
ence, the  dependence  from  the  start  being  placed  upon 
the  leadership  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  The  opening  session 
is  given  up  to  searching  of  hearts  and  confession  of  sin. 
The  first  blessing  which  the  Spirit  has  invariably  given 
has  been  that  of  cleansing ;  afterward  came  the  baptism 
of  power. 

One  year  two  of  the  members  of  the  Presbytery 
whom  God  had  before  honored  in  such  work  were  asked 
to  conduct  the  sessions ;  another  year  men  of  like  gifts 
were  invited  from  without,  and  the  Conference  put  en- 
tirely into  their  hands ;  while  a  third  year  almost  the 
whole  Conference  was  spent  in  spontaneous  prayer  and 
testimony.  Household  devotions  are  held  early  each 
morning,  and  hours  set  apart  daily  for  private  medita- 
tion in  one's  room,  or,  if  preferred,  in  the  woods.  The 
meetings  are  frequently  interspersed  with  song  and 
prayer,  and  at  the  close  of  the  Conference  opportunity 
is  given  for  personal  testimony.  L£st  year  the  conclud- 
ing session  was  spent  around  the  Table  of  our  Lord. 

Following  soon  after  the  Conference,  a  meeting  for 

both  ministers  and  elders  is  held  in  one  of  the  churches 

of  the  Presbytery,  its  object  being  to  bring  the  sessions 

also  up  to  a  high  point  of  spiritual   eonsecration  and 

34 


zeal  This  meeting  leads  usually  to  a  series  of  special 
services  which  are  sometimes  sectional,  several  churches 
uniting,  and  at  other  times  held  simultaneously  in  all 
the  churches  of  the  Presbytery;  the  pastors,  as  a  rule, 
acting  as  their  own  evangelists  or  exchanging  services 
one  with  another.  Some  years  the  Presbytery  has  met 
several  times  during  this  period  of  prayer  and  medita- 
tion, and  it  is  now  its  custom  to  convene  regularly 
for  an  all-day  Conference  on  the  closing  day  of  the  year, 
the  ministers  and  elders  alone  being  admitted,  and  al- 
ways adjourning  with  the  commemoration  of  the  Lord's 
Supper.  The  meeting  last  year  in  the  Brick  Church 
was  attended  by  three  hundred  ministers  and  elders, 
and  was  one  of  exceptional  spiritual  power. 

Members  of  the  Presbytery  testify  to  the  following 
specific  results  that  have  followed  this  Riverdale  Confer- 
ence : 

(i)  Greater  harmony  and  fellowship  within  the 
Presbytery;  revived  interest  in  the  salvation  of  men; 
and  hearty,  spontaneous  co-operation  in  all  work  for  the 
advance  of  the  Kingdom. 

(2)  Evident  attainment  to  a  higher,  richer  Christian 
life  on  the  part  of  the  pastors.  This,  acting  as  a  quick 
and  positive  contagion,  passes  out  into  the  churches  and 
gives  them  new  life  and  power.  It  has  come  to  be  the 
universal  judgment  of  the  churches  represented  in  these 
Conferences  that  their  ministers  never  preach  with  such 
spiritual  glow  or  manifest  baptism  of  the  Spirit  as  after 
a  visit  to  Riverdale,  and  what  is  so  apparent  in  the 
churches  is,  if  possible,  more  evident  in  the  life  of  the 
Presbytery. 

(3)  A  new  passion  for  souls   that   seeks   immediate, 

35 


practical  utterance.  Evangelistic  meetings  with  many 
conversions  are  always  the  sequel  of  this  annual  Confer- 
ence. 

(4)  Concerted  and  intercessory  prayer,  the  minis- 
ters and  their  churches  wrestling  at  the  Throne  together 
and  in  one  another's  behalf.  A  Prayer  Roll  has  been 
one  such  practical  issue  of  Riverdale.  This  is  so  ar- 
ranged that  one  day  a  month  is  set  apart,  when  each 
church  and  each  pastor  shall  be  remembered  by  all  the 
others  at  the  Mercy  Seat.  This  is  faithfully  followed, 
and  is  proving  an  ever-increasing  blessing  to  the  Pres- 
bytery and  its  churches. 

CHAPTER  X. 

&Ije  influence  of  Eitierbale  Conference. 

By  the  Rev.  Wilton  Merle  Smith,  D.D., 
Central  Presbyterian  Church,  New  York. 

The  feeling  of  absolute  harmony  in  the  Presbytery 
of  New  York  to-day,  and  its  new  aggressiveness  in  evan- 
gelical work  are  due,  under  God,  very  largely  to  the 
Rev.  John  Balcom  Shaw  and  Riverdale. 

In  1897  Dr.  Shaw  was  elected  Moderator  of  the  Pres- 
bytery. He  had  spent  a  week  at  Northfield  during  the 
summer.  Greatly  stirred  by  the  power  of  the  Northfield 
Conferences,  he  felt  that  the  New  York  Presbytery— 
which  had  been  disturbed  for  many  years  by  fierce  dis- 
putes over  doctrine,  needed  a  little  Northfield  here. 
He  invited  the  pastors  of  the  Presbytery  to  meet  to- 
gether at  a  little  hotel  in  Riverdale,  called  "The  Chest- 
nuts," for  prayer  and  conference,  for  three  days,  from 
36 


Monday  noon  till  Wednesday  afternoon.  About  forty 
pastors  accepted  the  invitation  and  spent  these  three 
days  in  conference,  fellowship  and  prayer. 

This  was  the  first  of  the  famous  Riverdale  Confer- 
ences, which  are  now  held  there  every  year.  Outside 
pastors  have  been  asked  to  help — Dr.  Charles  Cuthbert 
Hall,  the  late  Dr.  Babcock,  Mr.  Robert  E.  Spear,  Dr. 
Theodore  L.  Cuyler,  Dr.  Chapman  and  others  have  been 
the  inspiring  leaders.  Sometimes,  however,  the 
meetings  have  been  without  leaders,  save  as  they  have 
been  directed  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  These  Riverdale 
Conferences,  together  with  the  plan  of  sending  members 
of  the  New  York  Presbytery  to  the  general  conference 
at  Northfield  in  the  summer,  have  completely  changed 
the  atmosphere  in  the  New  York  Presbytery.  The  old 
bitterness  is  gone.  Brethren  once  fiercely  opposed  to 
each  other  are  now  working  in  perfect  harmony,  and  the 
thought  in  everybody's  heart  is  for  the  advancement  of 
the  Kingdom  of  God. 

It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  some  ministers  in  the 
New  York  Presbytery  have  been  mightily  changed  by 
the  influence  of  Northfield  and  Riverdale.  Some  have 
thrown  away  their  manuscripts,  and  have  felt  that  they 
were  preaching  with  greater  reliance  upon,  and  with 
greater  power  from,  the  Holy  Spirit  than  ever  before. 
Many  have  found  a  new  interest  in  evangelistic  work, 
and  have  been  pushing  their  churches  along  these 
lines.  Our  young  brethren,  particularly,  have  spoken 
again  and  again  of  the  blessing  they  have  received  at 
Riverdale.  Every  conference  which  has  been  held  has 
brought  a  real  blessing  to  those  attending.  New  purpose 
toward  faithful  Bible  study,  more  persistent  prayer,  and 

37 


more  earnest  work  for  the  souls   of  men  have  been   the 
invariable  result. 

The  influence  of  Riverdale  is  beautifully  pictured  in 
a  note  on  the  flvleaf  of  a  little  Bible  of  the  late  Rev. 
Maltbie  D.  Babcock.  It  is  as  follows  :  "  Riverdale, 
N.  Y.,  November  7,  1899.  Committed  myself,  with 
Christian  brothers,  to  unreserved  docility  and  devotion 
before  my  Master."  This  touching  note  on  the  flyleaf  of 
Dr.  Babcock's  Bible,  is  the  best  picture  of  what  River- 
dale is  doing  each  year  for  members  of  the  Presbytery 
of  New     ork. 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Prater  in  Eetritml. 

Every  genuine  revival  has  its  earthly  origin  in 
prayer.  The  Pentecostal  work  began  with  a  prayer 
meeting  in  an  obscure  upper  room  in  Jerusalem.  The 
revival  under  Jonathan  Edwards  in  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury had  its  origin  in  his  call  to  prayer.  The  memora- 
ble revival  in  1857  began  with  a  few  praying  hearts  in 
New  York.  The  story  of  its  beginning  is  interesting. 
In  the  upper  lecture  room  of  the  Old  North  Dutch 
Church  in  Fulton  street,  New  York,  a  solitary  man  was 
one  day  kneeling  upon  the  floor  engaged  in  earnest  and 
importunate  prayer.  He  was  just  an  ordinary  man,  one 
who  had  given  himself  very  much  to  the  helping  of  the 
lives  of  others.  He  was  without  wife  or  children,  and 
therefore  gave  all  his  time  to  the  work  of  a  missionary 
of  the  Old  Church.  Such  a  burden  for  souls  was  laid 
upon  him  as  he  visited  that  he  longed  beyond  expression 
to  do  something  for  their  salvation. 

38 


He  had  given  away  tracts  without  number.  He 
had  made  an  innumerable  number  of  visits.  But  this 
did  not  seem  to  satisfy  him.  He  longed  for  something 
more  effectual.  So  day  after  day,  many  times  in  a  day, 
he  was  on  his  knees  in  constant  prayer,  crying  out, 
"  Lord,  what  wilt  Thou  have  me  to  do  ? " 

At  noon  on  the  23d  day  of  September,  1857,  the  door 
of  the  old  lecture  room  was  thrown  open  for  prayer.  At 
half-past  twelve  o'clock  the  step  of  a  solitary  individual 
was  heard  upon  the  stairs.  Shortly  after  another,  and 
another,  until  six  made  up  the  whole  company.  Thus 
the  Noon-day  Business  Men's  Prayer  Meeting  was  in- 
augurated. 

The  second  meeting  was  held  a  week  afterwards  on 
Wednesday,  September  30th.  when  twenty  persons  were 
present.  There  was  much  prayer,  and  the  hearts  of 
those  present  were  melted  within  them. 

The  next  meeting  was  held  October  7th,  between 
thirty  and  forty  being  present.  From  this  time  on  the 
numbers  began  to  increase,  until  at  last  there  were 
hundreds  gathered  for  prayer.  The  tide  rose  higher 
from  day  to  day,  until  in  an  almost  incredibly  short  space 
of  time  New  York  was  stirred.  Brooklyn  felt  the  touch 
of  God's  power.  Philadelphia,  Boston,  Cincinnati  and 
Chicago  were  all  of  them  brought  under  the  influence  of 
the  Great  Revival. 

The  revivals  which  attended  the  ministry  of  Charles 
G.  Finney  were  always  born  in  and  baptized  with 
prayer.  In  speaking  of  the  revival  in  Rochester,  N.  Y., 
in  1830,  Mr.  Finney  says  in  his  autobiography:  "The 
spirit  of  prayer  was  poured  out  powerfully,  so  much  so 
that  some  persons  stayed  away  from  the  public  services 

39 


to  pray,  being  unable  to  restrain  their  feelings  under 
preaching. 

"  And  here  I  must  introduce  the  name  of  a  man 
whom  I  shall  have  occasion  to  mention  frequently,  Mr. 
Abel  Clary.  He  was  the  son  of  a  very  excellent  man,  and 
an  elder  of  the  church  where  I  was  converted.  He  was 
converted  in  the  same  revival  in  which  I  was.  He  had 
been  licensed  to  preach,  but  his  spirit  of  prayer  was  such, 
he  was  so  burdened  with  the  souls  of  men,  that  he  was  not 
able  to  preach  much,  his  whole  time  and  strength  being 
given  to  prayer.  The  burden  of  his  soul  would  frequently 
be  so  great  that  he  was  unable  to  stand,  and  he  would 
writhe  and  groan  in  agony.  I  was  well  acquainted  with 
him,  and  knew  something  of  the  wonderful  spirit  of 
prayer  that  was  upon  him.  He  was  a  very  silent  man, 
as  almost  all  are  who  have  that  powerful  spirit  of  prayer. 

"  The  first  I  knew  of  his  being  in  Rochester,  a  gentle- 
man who  lived  about  a  mile  west  of  the  city  called  on  me 
one  day  and  asked  me  if  I  knew  a  Mr.  Abel  Clary,  a  min- 
ister. I  told  him  that  I  knew  him  well.  '  Well,'  he 
said,  '  he  is  at  my  house,  and  has  been  there  for  some 
time,  and  I  don't  know  what  to  think  of  him.'     I  said, 

•  I  have  not  seen  him  at  any  of  our  meetings.'  »  No,' 
he  replied,  '  he  cannot  go  to  meeting,  he  says.  He 
prays  nearly  all  the  time,  day  and  night,  and  in  such 
agony  of  mind  that  I  do  not  know  what  to  make  of  it. 
Sometimes  he  cannot  even  stand  on  his  knees,  but  will 
lie  prostrate  on  the  floor  and  groan  and  pray  in  a  man- 
ner that  quite  astonishes  me.'     I  said   to  the  brother, 

*  I  understand  it ;  please  keep  still.  It  will  all  come  out 
right ;  he  will  surely  prevail.' 

4  •  I  knew  at  the  time  a  considerable  number  of  men, 
40 


who  were  exercised  in  the  same  way.     A  Deacon  P 

of  Camden,  Oneida  County;  a  Deacon  T ,  of  Rod- 
man, Jefferson   County;  a  Deacon  B ,  of  Adams,  in 

the  same  county;  this  Mr.  Clary  and  many  others 
among  the  men,  and  a  large  number  of  women  partook 
of  the  same  spirit  and  spent  a  great  part  of  their  time  in 
prayer.  Father  Nash,  as  we  called  him,  who  in  several 
of  my  fields  of  labor  came  to  me  and  aided  me,  was  an- 
other of  those  men  that  had  such  a  powerful  spirit  of 
prevailing  prayer.  This  Mr.  Clary  continued  in  Roch- 
ester as  long  as  I  did,  and  did  not  leave  it  until  after  I 
had  left.  He  never,  that  I  could  learn,  appeared  in 
public,  but  gave  himself  wholly  to  prayer. 

44 1  think  it  was  the  second  Sabbath  that  I  was  in 
Auburn  at  this  time,  I  observed  in  the  congregation  the 
solemn  face  of  Mr.  Clary.  He  looked  as  if  he  was  borne 
down  with  an  agony  of  prayer.  Being  well  acquainted 
with  him,  and  knowing  the  great  gift  of  God  that  was 
upon  him,  the  spirit  of  prayer,  I  was  very  glad  to  see 
him  there.  He  sat  in  the  pew  with  his  brother,  the  doc- 
tor, who  was  also  a  professor  of  religion,  but  who  had 
nothing  by  experience,  I  should  think,  of  his  brother 
Abel's  great  power  with  God. 

4 '  At  intermission,  as  soon  as  I  came  down  from  the 
pulpit,  Mr.  Clary,  with  his  brother,  met  me  at  the  pul- 
pit stairs,  and  the  doctor  invited  me  to  go  home  with 
him  and  spend  the  intermission  and  get  some  refresh- 
ments.    I  did  so. 

4<  After  arriving  at  his  house  we  were  soon  summoned 
to  the  dinner  table.  We  gathered  about  the  table,  and 
Dr.  Clary  turned  to  his  brother  and  said,  •  Brother  Abel, 
will  you   ask  the   blessing?'     Brother  Abel  bowed  his 

4i 


head  and  began,  audibly,  to  ask  a  blessing.  He  had 
uttered  but  a  sentence  or  two  when  he  broke  instantly- 
down,  moved  suddenly  back  from  the  table  and  fled  to 
his  chamber.  The  doctor  supposed  he  had  been  taken 
suddenly  ill,  and  rose  up  and  followed  him.  In  a  few 
moments  he  came  down  and  said,  '  Mr.  Finney,  Brother 
Abel  wants  to  see  you.'  Said  I,  *  What  ails  him  ?'  Said 
he,  '  I  do  not  know,  but  he  says  you  know.  He  appears 
in  great  distress,  but  I  think  it  is  the  state  of  his  mind.' 
I  understood  it  in  a  moment,  and  went  to  his  room.  He 
lay  groaning  upon  the  bed,  the  Spirit  making  interces- 
sion for  him,  and  in  him,  with  groanings  that  could  not 
be  uttered.  I  had  barely  entered  the  room,  when  he 
made  out  to  say,  '  Pray,  Brother  Finney.'  I  knelt 
down  and  helped  him  in  prayer,  by  leading  his  soul  out 
for  the  conversion  of  sinners.  I  continued  to  pray  until 
his  distress  passed  away,  and  then  I  returned  to  the  din- 
ner table. 

"  I  understood  that  this  was  the  voice  of  God.  I  saw 
the  spirit  of  prayer  was  upon  him,  and  I  felt  his  influ- 
ence upon  myself,  and  took  it  for  granted  that  the  work 
would  move  on  powerfully.  It  did  so.  The  pastor  told 
me  afterward  that  he  found  that  in  the  six  weeks  that  I 
was  there  five  hundred  souls  had  been  converted." 

Dr.  Torrey,  in  his  admirable  work  on  ' '  How  to  pro- 
mote and  Conduct  a  Successful  Revival,"  thus  describes 
the  great  religious  awakening  in  Ireland  in  1859.  By 
many  who  did  not  know  it  was  thought  that  this  marvel- 
ous work  came  without  warning  and  preparation,  but 
Rev.  William  Gibson,  the  moderator  of  the  General 
Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Ireland  in  i860, 
in  his  very  interesting  and  valuable  history  of  the  work, 
42 


tells  how  there  had  been  preparation  for  two  years. 
There  had  been  constant  discussion  in  the  General  As- 
sembly of  the  low  estate  of  religion  and  of  the  need  of  a 
revival.  There  had  been  special  sessions  for  prayer. 
Finally  four  young  men,  who  became  leaders  in  the 
origin  of  the  great  work,  began  to  meet  together  in  an 
old  school-house  in  the  neighborhood  of  Kells.  About 
the  spring  of  1858  a  work  of  power  began  to  manifest 
itself.  It  spread  from  town  to  town,  and  from  county 
to  county.  The  congregations  became  too  large  for  the 
buildings,  and  the  meetings  were  held  in  the  open  air, 
oftentimes  attended  by  many  thousands  of  people.  Many 
hundreds  of  persons  were  frequently  convicted  of  sin  in 
a  single  meeting.  In  some  places  the  criminal  courts 
and  jails  were  closed  for  lack  of  occupation.  There 
were  manifestations  of  the  Holy  Spirit's  power  of  a  most 
remarkable  character,  clearly  proving  that  the  Holy 
Spirit  is  as  ready  to  work  to-day  as  in  apostolic  days, 
when  ministers  and  Christians  really  believe  in  Him  and 
begin  to  prepare  the  way  by  prayer." 

Dr.  Torrey  says  that  Mr.  Moody's  great  work  in  Eng- 
land and  Scotland  and  Ireland,  and  that  spread  to  Amer- 
ica, had  its  origin  on  the  manward  side  in  prayer.  Mr. 
Moody  said  of  a  work  in  Liverpool :  "I  remember 
preaching  in  Liverpool  in  a  certain  church  and  the  re- 
sults were  astonishing.  In  ten  days  that  church  took 
in  four  hundred  new  members.  I  was  amazed.  But  I 
learned  that  a  poor  old  bedridden  woman  had  been 
praying  about  it." 

Dr.  Spencer,  in  his  "Pastor's  Sketches,"  tells  of  a 
revival  in  his  church  which  had  its  origin  in  the  fervent 
prayers  of  a  godly  old  man  who  was  confined  to  his 

43 


room  by  lameness.  Dr.  Thomas  H.  Skinner  told  of  a 
revival  in  the  Arch  Street  Presbyterian  Church  in  Phila- 
delphia, where  he  was  pastor,  which  had  its  origin  in  the 
coming  together  of  three  earnest  men  in  his  study. 
Said  Dr.  Skinner:  "They  literally  wrestled  in  prayer. 
They  made  a  clean  breast  in  confession  of  sin,  and  hum- 
bled themselves  before  God.  One  and  another  church 
officer  came  in  and  joined  them.  The  heaven-kindled 
flame  spread  through  the  whole  congregation  in  one  of 
the  most  powerful  revivals  ever  known  in  that  city." 

Prayer  is  the  power  in  revivals.  As  marvelous  works 
will  result  from  prayer  to-day  as  ever  have  resulted.  Mr. 
Finney,  in  his  "Lectures  on  Revivals  of  Religion," 
says  :  "A  revival  may  be  expected  when  Christians 
pray  as  if  their  hearts  were  set  upon  a  revival.  Some- 
times Christians  are  not  engaged  in  prayer  for  a  revival, 
not  even  when  they  are  warm  in  prayer.  Their  minds 
are  upon  something  else — the  salvation  of  the  heathen 
and  the  like — and  not  for  a  revival  among  themselves. 
But  when  they  feel  the  want  of  a  revival,  they  pray  for 
it ;  they  feel  for  their  own  families  and  neighborhoods, 
and  pray  for  them  as  if  they  could  not  be  denied.  What 
constitutes  a  spirit  of  prayer  ?  Is  it  many  prayers  and 
warm  words  ?  No.  Prayer  is  the  state  of  the  heart. 
The  spirit  of  prayer  is  a  state  of  continual  desire  and 
anxiety  of  mind  for  the  salvation  of  sinners.  It  is  some- 
thing that  weighs  them  down.  It  is  the  same,  so  far  as 
the  philosophy  of  the  mind  is  concerned,  as  when  a  man 
is  anxious  for  some  worldly  interest.  A  Christian  who 
has  this  spirit  of  prayer  feels  anxious  for  souls.  It  is  the 
subject  of  his  thoughts  all  the  time,  and  makes  him  look 
and  act  as  if  he  had  a  load  on  his  mind.     He  thinks  of 

44 


it  by  day  and  dreams  of  it  by  night.  This  is,  properly, 
praying  without  ceasing.  The  man's  prayers  seem  to 
flow  from  his  heart,  liquid  as  water — "O  Lord,  revive 
this  work." 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Qfrmngeli^ation  &mong  ftttral  Cl)nrcl)es. 

How  it  Began — How  it  Works. 

The  call  of  the  National  Committee  of  the  Twentieth 
Century  Gospel  Campaign,  and  the  reports  of  the  Simul- 
taneous Meetings  in  England,  came  to  some  of  the  pas- 
tors in  Berkshire  County,  Mass.,  as  "  the  sound  of  a  go- 
ing in  the  tops  of  the  mulberry  trees."  A  call  to  the 
leaders  to  "bestir  themselves,"  and  to  marshall  the 
people  for  conquest. 

A  county  religious  paper  had  noted  the  successive 
incidents  of  the  movement  and  had  revoiced  its  calls. 
This  agency  was  very  helpful  in  emphasizing  and  diffus- 
ing local  announcements. 

A  leading  pastor  of  each  of  four  denominations  in 
Pittsfield,  a  central  city,  united  in  issuing  a  call  for  two 
days  of  conference  and  prayer,  uniting  pastors  of  all  the 
evangelical  denominations  in  this  county.  This  confer- 
ence gave  large  space  to  united  prayer,  and  a  committee 
was  chosen  representing  all  the  denominations  which 
usually  unite  in  religious  work. 

This  committee  proceeded  to  send  out  a  circular  let- 
ter to  all  the  churches,  asking  the  following  questions  : 

i.  Will  you  unite  with  other  churches  in  a  special 
work  of  evangelization  ? 

45 


2.  Will  yon  release  your  pastor  tor  a  period  01  sei  «• 
vice  in  another  church,  his  absence  on  the  Sabbath  to  be 
provided  for  by  an  adequate  supply  ? 

3.  Do  you  desire  special  Evangelistic  services  in 
your  church  ?  Such  services  to  be  conducted  by  two 
pastors,  preferably  of  different  denominations,  selected 
by  the  committee  from  a  list  which  the  church  may 
send  in,  expressing  the  preference, 

4.  If  such  services  shall  be  held  with  you,  will  you 
at  some  convenient  time  gather  one  offering  to  assist  in 
defraying  the  incidental  expenses  of  the  work  ? 

When  responses  came  in  to  their  inquiries,  it  was 
soon  found  that  more  than  thirty  churches  desired  the 
special  services,  and  an  adequate  number  of  pastors 
volunteered  to  engage  in  the  work. 

At  the  present  time,  October,  1901,  five  series  of 
services  of  five  days  each  have  been  concluded,  Eight 
churches  have  shared  in  the  work.  In  each  instance 
special  results  were  noted,  as  many  as  a  dozen  or  more 
persons  have,  during  each  series,  openly  declared  their 
desire  or  purpose  to  come  decisively  upon  the  side  of 
Christ.  Many  of  them,  perhaps  most  of  them,  gave 
evidence  of  conversion.  In  some  of  the  most  promising 
fields  the  results  were  most  gratifying  Results  like  these 
have  not  appeared  in  most  of  the  churches  for  many 
years.  During  the  two  weeks  about  seventy  persons 
appear  to  have  responded  personally  to  the  opportunity 
which  the  services  brought  to  them. 

The  pecuniary  responses  at  these  opening  services 
were  sufficient,  probably,  to  defray  the  expenses  which 
are  likely  to  accrue  for  the  whole  work,  upon  the  plan 
adopted. 

46 


God  has  seemed  to  honor  in  a  signal  way  this  union 
of  pastors  and  churches.  He  has  brought  into  a  closer 
union  some  churches  which  might  otherwise  have 
wrought  apart,  with  small  fruitage,  and  He  has  wrought 
effectually  by  the  pastors,  giving  evangelistic  results, 
when  they  have  willingly  given  themselves  to  the  use  of 
evangelistic  preaching  and  methods. 

CHAPTER   XIII. 

(Drgani^ing  tlje  fbrroarb  iHouement  in  tlje  Jn~ 
bitnbual  €l)urcl), 

By  the   Rev.  John  Balcom  Shaw,  D.D. 
West  End  Presbyterian  Church,  New  York. 

In  the  evangelistic  work  we  have  been  doing  the 
last  two  or  three  years  in  the  Presbytery  of  New  York, 
a  conference  of  the  pastors— a  Retreat,  as  they  style  such 
a  gathering  in  the  Episcopal  Church — has  been  inva- 
riably our  starting  point,  for  we  have  found  that  when 
the  ministers  enter  into  a  deeper  spiritual  life,  the 
churches  are  not  long  in  following. 

These  meetings  are  entirely  private,  no  public  func- 
tion ever  being  held,  and  the  primary  accent  is  put  down 
upon  secret  meditation  and  prayer.  As  much  as  possi- 
ble we  seek  to  avoid  formality,  and,  with  a  view  to  this 
end,  we  have  always  held  our  conference  in  a  large  par- 
lor rather  than  in  some  church  or  lecture  room,  being 
fortunate  enough  to  secure  practically  the  exclusive  use 
of  a  summer  hotel  in  the  suburban  part  of  the  city, 
where  we  can  all  be  under  the  same  roof  at  night,  as 
well  as  during  the  day.  I  would  strongly  urge  this 
plan  upon  other  Presbyteries  contemplating  such  a  con- 
ference. 

47 


Having  become  aroused  ourselves — and  all  of  us 
need  this — we  turn  our  attention  at  once  to  the  sessions 
of  our  churches ;  and  here,  confessedly,  we  meet  no  easy 
problem,  for  the  average  session  is  so  stolid  and  con- 
servative, so  zealous  of  the  old  ways  and  so  suspicious 
of  innovations,  as  to  be  difficult  to  move.  Our  usual 
method  has  been  to  call  a  meeting  of  the  session  imme- 
diately after  the  conference,  and  when  the  members 
come  together — it  is  seldom  wise  to  announce  the  object 
beforehand,  for  even  our  elders  are  sometimes  aversive 
to  a  heart-searching  meeting,  they  would  much  rather 
discuss  forms  or  figures — we  aim  to  get  them  down  upon 
their  knees  and  have  a  time  of  close  dealings  face  to 
face  with  the  Lord — to  repeat  the  upper  room  experi- 
ences. When  hearts  have  been  thus  mellowed,  as  the 
hardest  heart  is  sure  to  be,  we  call  for  testimony,  and  as 
one  after  another  talks  out  his  heart,  the  place  fairly 
flows  with  the  Baptism  of  Fire.  Never  have  I  known 
this  to  fail,  and  I  believe  we  all  make  a  great  mistake 
in  confining  our  session  meetings,  as  we  so  often  do, 
to  the  consideration  of  petty  details  and  the  transaction 
of  routine  business. 

The  next  task  is  to  bestir  the  membership,  and  the 
first  attempt  thereto  must  come  from  the  pulpit.  A  heart 
searching  sermon,  straight  to  the  conscience,  that  at  no 
point  relaxes  its  pressure,  but  plows  deep  across  the 
heart-life,  if  it  be  preached  from  the  heart  to  the  heart 
and  out  of  a  personal  experience  of  the  richer  and 
deeper  Christian  life,  is  sure  to  have  a  strong  awakening 
effect  upon  the  congregation,  and,  if  followed  immedi- 
ately and  continuously  by  similar  treatment  and  appeal, 
must  bring  early  and  blessed  results. 

48 


And  having  made  an  impression  upon  the  congre- 
gation, then  be  sure  to  clinch  it.  Don't  let  the  new 
feeling  escape  like  steam  into  the  air ;  it  will  wield  no 
power  if  you  do.  Have  an  after-meeting  and  seek  to 
get  commitments,  first  to  a  higher,  more  surrendered 
life,  and  then  to  definite,  practical,  personal  service  for 
Christ  and  for  souls.  Don't  be  afraid,  either,  to  resort 
to  a  show  of  hands,  or  to  get  the  people  to  stand  up  and 
be  counted.  It  will  do  them  good ;  it  will  do  the  church 
good.  You  must  break  up  its  deadening  formality  and 
conventionality,  or  there  will  be  no  hope  for  your  church. 
Turn  one  of  these  after-services  into  a  testimony  meet- 
ing, and  the  effect  will  be  found  most  wholesome. 

When  the  people  have  pledged  themselves,  begin  at 
once  to  take  them  at  their  word.  Give  them  something 
definite  to  do.  Let  them  have  announcement  cards  to 
distribute,  have  them  address  the  envelopes  that  are  to 
carry  the  invitations  to  the  service.  We  put  a  whole 
chapel  full  of  people  to  work  at  this  once,  and  with 
spiritual,  as  well  as  physical  results.  But  be  sure  that 
they  are  not  allowed  to  stop  with  work  that  is  only  in- 
direct or  impersonal.  Hand  them  a  list  of  delinquent 
members  to  look  up.  Suggest  a  group  of  people  for  them 
to  pray  for.  Send  them  out  to  visit  strangers.  Get 
them  to  speak  to  their  families  and  their  associates  in 
business  on  the  subject  of  personal  religion.  Nothing 
will  bring  your  church  into  step  like  this.  A  movement 
that  fails  of  personal  work  will  move  backward  and  not 
forward,  and  give  forth  a  savor  of  death  unto  death, 
rather  than  a  savor  of  life  unto  life. 

In  this  work  of  awakening  the  church,  do  not  neg- 
lect the  Sunday  school.     Call  your  teachers  together  the 

49 


first  thing  and  push  the  weight  of  responsibility  down 
heavily  upon  them.  Enroll  them  as  soul  winners,  if 
necessary,  formally  pledging  them  to  that  work.  Then 
arrange  for  several  evangelistic  talks  to  the  Sunday 
School,  and  make  these  lead  up  to  a  Decision  Day,  on 
which  a  calm  and  careful  endeavor  is  made  to  get  every 
one  of  the  older  scholars  to  take  a  stand  for  Christ. 

Appoint  cottage  prayer  meetings,  too;  several  the 
same  evening  in  different  parts  of  the  parish.  Their 
effect  will  be  to  restore  many  a  family  altar  and  to  give 
the  people  a  taste  of  Christian  fellowship  that  can  come 
in  no  other  way,  and  will  wonderfully  enrich  the  spirit- 
ual life  of  the  congregation. 

Most  of  our  members  know  practically  nothing  of 
the  joy  or  power  of  intercessory  prayer ;  and  for  that 
reason  I  have  found  it  immensely  helpful  to  organize  a 
Prayer  Band,  the  members  of  which  agree  to  spend  a 
certain  time  a  day  alone  with  God,  to  remember  one 
another  at  the  Throne,  and  to  pray  for  the  reviving  of 
grace.  A  band  of  this  character  has  been  in  existence 
in  our  church  for  three  years,  and  its  members  have  been 
my  right-hand  assistants  and  my  unfailing  inspiration  at 
every  turn. 

When  the  church  has  been  aroused,  and  not  until 
then,  begin  to  reach  worldward,  and  right  here  one  will 
surely  have  to  part  with  his  conservatism  and  conven- 
tionality, if  these  have  not  already  gone  from  him.  In 
most  cases  the  masses  cannot  be  brought  to  the  Church ; 
they  dislike  its  formality.  The  Church  must,  therefore, 
go  to  them.  This  must  be  an  age  of  the  highway  mis- 
sion. Preach  on  the  street.  Hire  a  hall  and  begin 
meetings  there.    Set  up  a  tent  when  the  summer  ap- 

5o 


proaches,  and  let  that  be  a  temporary  place  of  worship. 
People  like  freedom  and  informality,  and,  as  a  rule,  they 
will  go  only  where  these  are  to  be  found.  The  five 
churches  of  a  village  I  knew  hired  the  fair  ground  last 
summer  and  held  union  services  there  Sunday  evenings. 
The  result  was  that,  whereas  before  the  aggregate  Sun- 
day evening's  congregations  in  all  of  them  was  less  than 
a  hundred,  the  new  plan  brought  out  a  full  thousand  the 
first  night,  and  this  was  more  than  doubled  before  the 
summer  closed.  Let  no  one  say  this  is  forsaking  the 
Church;  it  is  simply  changing  our  methods,  that  is  all. 
What  is  the  Church  ?  Not  a  construction,  surely,  but  a 
communion.  Not  a  locus,  but  an  institution.  If  we 
leave  our  old  buildings  and  move  uptown,  why  can't  we 
occasionally  close  our  new  buildings  and  work  down 
town  ?  No  principle  is  violated  in  the  one  case  any 
more  than  in  the  other. 

But  wherever  you  hold  your  services,  in  the  church  or 
elsewhere,  aim  for  results.  Draw  the  net  on  the  spot, 
though  you  may  do  it  in  different  ways.  When  the 
Lord  called  us  to  be  fishers  of  men,  he  sent  us  out  not 
to  get  nibbles,  but  to  catch  souls.  Commitment  is  half 
the  battle ;  I  sometimes  think  it  is  the  whole  battle. 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Suggestions  for  tlje  tXJork. 

By  the  Rev.  J.  Wilbur  Chapman,  D.D. 

There  are  certain  indications  which  will  make  it 
plain  to  the  thoughtful  Christian  that  God  is  on  the  eve 
of  pouring  out  His  Spirit  in  a  more  special  way  upon  His 
people.     The  following  suggestions  are  made  in  order 


that  the  work  may  be  planned  and  the  people  aroused 
to  take  advantage  of  God's  willingness; 

First— A  determination  to  have  a  better  state  of 
things  with  God's  help  is  the  best  sign  of  an  approaching 
awakening. 

Second— The  indications  of  God's  providence  are 
sometimes  so  plain  as  to  amount  to  a  revelation  of  His 
will.  Sometimes  by  peculiar  and  alarming  events, 
sometimes  by  the  presence  of  great  need,  and  often  by 
the  burden  which  so  rests  upon  a  few  of  God's  faithful 
ones  that  a  desire  for  a  revival  is  really  an  agony  of 
spirit,  does  God  speak  to  us. 

Third — When  the  wickedness  of  the  wicked  grieves, 
humbles  and  distresses  Christians,  it  is  a  real  indication 
that  God's  Spirit  is  working. 

Fourth — When  there  is  a  revival  of  the  spirit  of 
prayer  on  the  part  of  even  a  few,  we  may  make  ready  for 
a  coming  victory. 

Fifth — Another  sign  that  a  revival  may  be  expected 
is  when  the  attention  of  the  minister  is  especially  di- 
rected to  this  particular  object,  and  when  his  preaching 
and  other  efforts  are  aimed  at  the  conversion  of  sinners. 

As  the  farmer  tills  the  ground,  sows  the  seed  and 
cultivates  the  growing  vegetation,  so  we  are  obliged  to 
make  preparation  for  a  genuine  work  of  grace.  Revi- 
vals are  born  in  prayer.  When  Wesley  prayed,  England 
was  revived ;  when  Knox  prayed,  Scotland  was  refreshed ; 
when  the  Sunday  School  teachers  of  Tannybrook  prayed, 
11,000  young  people  were  added  to  the  Church  in  a  year. 
Whole  nights  of  prayer  have  always  been  succeeded  by 
whole  days  of  soul  winning.     With  these  preliminary 

52 


remarks  the  following  suggestions  are  made  as  to  the 
plan  of  the  work. 

First,  let  the  minister  call  a  conference  of  a  few  of 
the  most  spiritually  minded  people  in  the  church.  Let 
the  circle  be  small  at  the  beginning.  Following  Nehe- 
miah's  example  when  he  went  to  view  the  ruins  with 
some  few  men  with  him.  Nehemiah  2  :  12.  This  first 
conference  may  or  may  not  consist  of  church  officers, 
although  as  a  rule  it  ought  to  be  so  constituted ;  then  the 
circle  of  conference  and  prayer  may  be  increased,  taking 
in  the  Sunday  School  teachers,  and  all,  together,  plan 
and  pray  for  the  best  interests  of  the  church,  increasing 
the  number  in  attendance  only  by  such  as  you  are  sure 
would  be  in  sympathy  with  your  great  work.  A  whole 
week  might  be  taken  for  such  gatherings  in  the  pastor's 
home,  in  the  church,  or  in  any  other  place  which  might 
appeal  to  the  greatest  number. 

Second. — Let  the  preaching  be  along  very  direct 
lines.  I  do  not  know  anything  better  for  the  preliminary 
preaching  than  that  which  is  suggested  by  the  late 
William  W.  Newell,  D.D.,  in  his  "Revivals,  How  and 
When."  He  said, '  'On  Monday,  I  considered  the  infinitely 
holy  character  of  God ;  on  Tuesday,  I  considered  my  own 
particular  sins  and  the  sins  of  my  people  in  the  presence 
of  that  Jehovah  of  whom  I  had  spoken  before.  On 
Wednesday,  I  considered  God's  kindness  to  me,  my 
family  and  my  church,  and  I  was  amazed  at  His  mu- 
nificence and  abased  at  my  own  unthankfulness.  On 
Thursday,  my  questions  were:  'Why  do  you  want  a 
revival  of  religion  ?  Are  you  seeking  in  it  the  honor  of 
Jesus  ? '  On  Friday,  I  was  prepared  as  never  before 
to  look  at  Jesus.     I  laid  myself  upon  His  altar  to   do 

53 


and  to  suffer  His  will  and  with  great  confidence  I  sought 
His  Spirit.  Each  evening  during  the  week  I  poured 
forth  to  my  church  the  experience  of  the  day,  and  the 
effect  was  wonderful."  With  such  a  week  as  this  in  every 
city  and  town  in  the  land  a  mighty  revival  of  religion 
would  be  upon  us. 

Third — There  can  be  no  better  way  to  prepare  a 
community  than  to  plan  neighborhood  or  cottage  prayer 
meetings.  District  the  city  or  town  so  that  every  one 
may  be  reached,  and  then  secure  as  many  homes  as  pos- 
sible,- one  or  two  at  least  in  each  district,  more  if  it  is 
possible.  Send  to  the  representative  of  that  home  a 
note  something  like  this : 

Dear  Friend: 

We  wish  to  hold  a  neighborhood  meeting  in  your 
home.  We  want  you  to  reach  everyone  so  far  as  it  may 
be  possible  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  your  house.  We 
desire  that  you  should  pray  simply  for  a  revival  and  the 
outpouring  of  the  Holy  Ghost  upon  the  Church.  Please 
send  around  these  little  cards  which  we  enclose  properly 
filled  out  and  signed. 

Yours  cordially, 


Enclose  in  this  communication  a  card  of  which  the 
following  is  a  sample : 

You  are  most  cordially  invited  to  attend  a  neighbor- 
hood meeting  held  in  my  home,  No Street,  on 

Tuesday,  from         to  o'clock.     You  are    privileged 

to  bring  a  friend  with  you.     This  meeting  is  held  in  the 
interests  of  the  Church  of  Christ  and  with  the  desire 
that  God  may  pour  out  His  Spirit  upon  us. 
Signed, 


54 


If  these  meetings  could  be  held  from  8:30  until  9 
o'clock  in  the  morning  and  then  a  general  meeting  could 
be  called  for  10  o'clock  at  some  central  point,  where 
reports  could  be  made  from  the  various  services  and 
such  an  address  given  as  would  stir  the  church  members 
to  immediate  effort,  the  effect  would  be  remarkable. 

Fourth— Appoint  a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer  in  ad- 
dition to  the  suggestions  already  made. 

Fifth — With  the  circle  of  people  with  whom  you 
have  been  in  conference  pledged  to  your  support  and  the 
spirit  of  prayer  quickened  in  your  community,  announce 
such  a  series  of  meetings  as  may  be  adapted  to  your 
work  and  observe  the  following  rules : 

First — Have  absolute  confidence  in  God,  that  what 
He  has  said  in  His  Word  He  means. 

Second — Expect  results  from  God. 

Third — Do  not  preach  simply  about  Christ  and  tell 
the  people  how  to  come  to  Him,  but  give  the  man  oppor- 
tunity to  come. 

Fourth — Let  the  plan  of  salvation  be  perfectly 
stated  in  every  sermon. 

Let  us  preach  in  these  next  days  with  the  conviction 
that  we  may  be  having  our  last  opportunity  and  that 
those  who  hear  us  may  never  have  another  chance  to  be 
saved. 

These  suggestions  may  be  adapted  to  either  a  work 
in  a  single  church  or  a  series  of  union  meetings.  That 
they  may  be  abundantly  blessed  of  God  is  our  prayer. 

55 


CHAPTER     XV. 

(letting  Rcabn. 

By  the  Rev.  J.  F.  Cars.-n.  D.D. 

First— Realize  the  need  of  a  revival  in  your  own 
church.     Believe  that  it  is  possible  to  have  it  and  resolve 

od's  blessing  that  you  will  have  it.  A  revival  is 
simply  the  quickening  of  the  dormant  life  of  the  Church. 
When  that  is  quickened,  there  .  Hows  the  salvation 

of  sinners.    The    :  to    have    the   Church 

awakened. 

Second — Be  much  in  prayer.  Let  the  minister  pray, 
pray  directly  and  definitely,  pray  earnestly  and  in  faith 
for  a  revival.  Then  let  the  minister  call  together  two  or 
three  to  join  him  in  prayer  for  a  revival,  and  if  they  ; 
in  the  right  spirit  the  revival  has  already  come  down 
from  God.  Their  own  hearts  have  been  quickened  and 
their  hopes  have  been  enlarged.  Increase  the  number 
of  those  banded  together  for  prayer  by  those  who  know 
how  to  pray.  Let  the  number  be  limited  i  >:ily  bv  those  who 
know  the  meaning  and  the  power  of  prayer.  When  the 
indications  warrant  it,  carry  the  work  from  this  circle  of 
prayer  into  the  Church.  Say  little  about  what  has  been 
done,  but  begin  at  once  to  carry  out  your  matured  and 
prayer-baptized  plans. 

Third — Hold  general  meetings  for  prayer.  These 
should  be  held  first  once  a  week.  Then  two  or  three 
meetings  in  a  week,  and  the  week  before  t';.  stic 

-ings  are  held  there  should  be  a  meeting  even- 
night.  The  burden  of  prayer  in  these  meetings  should 
be  for  the  enduement  of  power  for  the  workers  and  for 
the  guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  all  the  services.     The 


Bible  readings  should  be  on  such   subjects   as   the    Holy- 
Spirit,  Prayer,  The  power  of  '  I  to  save,  etc. 

Fourth — Appoint  special  services  for  prayer.  Have  a 
day  of  prayer.  In  many  cases  a  night  of  prayer  would 
be  a  great  blessing.  What  we  make  a  sacrifice  for 
counts.  Have  a  sunrise  prayer  meeting.  Appoint  cot- 
tage meetings.  A  number  of  them  should  be  held  on 
one  day  or  one  evening.  In  a  series  of  meetings  which 
we  had  the  joy  of  conducting  in  a  town  of  about  8,000 
inhabitants,  we  had  twenty-three  meetings  at  the  same 
hour  in  the  homes  of  the  town.  The  meetings  were 
from  ten  to  eleven  o'clock.  At  eleven-thirty  a  general 
meeting  for  prayer  was  held  in  the  church.  That  was 
the  beginning  of  the  power  of  the  services.  That  night 
over  fifty  cards  were  signed  and  in  the  following  five 
days  over  three  hundred  cards  were  signed.  In  these 
cottage  meetings  definite  requests  in  prayer  should  be 
made. 

Fifth — Pledge  all  you  can  to  daily  prayer  and  per- 
sonal effort. 

Sixth—Before  your  meetings  are  held  have  the  homes 
of  the  people  visited.  Let  the  pastor  do  as  much  of  this 
as  he  can.  Let  the  conversation  turn  on  the  meetings 
and,  if  the  way  be  opened,  pray  with  the  family  for  the 
meetings  and  for  a  blessing  on  that  home  through  the 
meetings. 

Seventh — At  the  first  service  in  the  series  of  meetings 
an  after  meeting  should  be  held  for  conference  with  the 
workers,  for  asking  and  answering *any  questions  as  to 
methods  and  for  final  instruction  to  the  workers. 

Eighth — Divide  the  workers  into  groups  of  ten  and 
have  a  superintendent  for  each   group.     This   sv.perin- 


tendent  must  be  held  responsible  for  the  attendance 
and  the  work  of  his  ten  workers.  If  any  drop  out,  he 
must  select  others  to  fill  the  vacancies.  This  suggestion 
is  for  churches  which  do  not  adopt  the  suggestion  made 
elsewhere  for  the  appointment  of  ushers  and  assistants. 

Ninth — Arrange  some  meetings  for  children.  Rev. 
E.  P.  Hammond  says;  "  No  revival  is  what  it  ought  to 
be  if  a  good  deal  of  attention  is  not  given  to  the  chil- 
dren." The  children's  meetings  should  .  be  among  the 
most  earnest  and  spiritual  of  all.  Saturday  afternoon 
would  be  a  good  time  for  a  children's  meeting. 

Tenth — Provide  plenty  of  Inquirer's  cards  for  each 
worker.  The  worker  should  have  more  than  enough  to 
supply  all  persons  sitting  in  his  section. 

Eleventh — The  music  is  a  vital  factor  in  an  evan- 
gelistic service.  Have  plenty  of  hymn  books,  one  for 
each  person,  if  possible.  Get  everybody  to  sing.  Train 
a  chorus  choir,  the  larger  the  better.  Get  the  best 
leader,  always  a  Christian  man.  A  man  may  be  a  good 
musician  and  have  a  splendid  voice  and  yet  be  of  no  value 
in  evangelistic  services  because  he  is  not  a  Christian  and 
so  cannot  sing  for  the  purpose  of  winning  men  to  Christ. 
The  soloist  must  be  spiritual,  one  who  will  be  a  channel 
through  which  the  Spirit  can  work. 

Twelfth — Be  persistent.  Do  not  weary  in  well  do- 
ing. Dr.  George  B.  Wright  says:  "  I  knew  a  meeting 
to  be  held  three  weeks  without  apparent  result ;  at  nine 
o'clock  on  the  evening  which  began  the  fourth  week,  not 
a  person  had  been  forward ;  at  quarter  past  nine,  forty 
were  seeking  salvation  and  a  great  work  followed.  Re- 
sults belong  to  God,  so  do  not  be  discouraged  if  they  are 

58 


not  seen  at  once.     Work  faithfully  and  pray  earnestly 
and  leave  the  rest  to  Him." 

CHAPTFR  XVI. 

preparation  for  trje  Services. 

The  fields  that  have  been  best  prepared  for  the  sow- 
ing always  yield  the  largest  and  richest  harvests  in  things 
spiritual.  The  farmer  cannot  secure  a  harvest  by  simply 
sowing  seed.  He  has  to  prepare  the  ground.  God  says : 
•'  Break  up  your  fallow  ground,  for  it  is  time  to  seek  the 
Lord,  till  He  come  and  rain  righteousness  upon  you.'' 
(Hosea,  10: 12.) 

The  first  step  in  the  preparation  is  with  the  pastor 
himself.  "  It  will  not  do,"  says  Dr.  Chapman,  "to  be- 
moan the  deadness  of  the  Church,  and  cry  out  against 
the  worldliness  of  the  people,  if  there  be  coldness  in  the 
heart  of  God's  chosen  leader.  No  searching  sermons 
will  avail  much,  and  no  words  of  rebuke  will  have  much 
weight,  if  the  heart  of  him  be  wrong  who  is  set  as  the 
leader  of  the  hosts." 

Dr.  William  N.  Newell,  in  his  book  on  revivals, 
says  of  the  pastor's  relations  to  the  revival:  "You  must 
search  out  the  depths  of  your  own  life  and  character 
in  the  light  of  God  and  man.  You  may  have  been  dull 
and  selfish  in  your  Christian  work,  professional  and  un- 
believing in  your  prayers.  Your  example  may  have 
brought  religion  into  disrepute.  You  may  have  cherished 
hard  feelings.  Is  your  leading  desire  for  a  revival 
legitimate  ?  You  may  desire  a  revival  on  account  of 
your  own  reputation  and  the  outward  prosperity  of  the 
Church.    A  neighbor  of  mine  once  held  a  protracted 

59 


meeting  with  the  avowed  design  of  establishing  his  own 
mission.  You  may  strongly  desire  the  salvation  of  souls, 
with  small  appreciation  of  their  guilt  and  with  slight  re- 
gard for  the  honor  of  Jesus." 

The  second  step  is  to  secure  the  sympathy  and  co- 
operation of  the  elders  and  officers  of  the  church.  Fre- 
quent conferences  with  them  should  be  held,  There 
should  be  conferences  for  the  searching  of  heart,  when 
the  officers  shall  forget  others  and  consider  only  their 
own  needs. 

Having  taken  these  steps,  the  pastor  and  officers  are 
prepared  to  present  their  plans  to  the  faithful  few  in  the 
church,  the  Gideon's  band,  who  will  be  loyal.  Then  in- 
crease the  number,  bring  into  your  plan  some  of  the 
young  people.  Unite  all  these  in  special  meetings  for 
prayer.  Then  you  are  prepared  to  present  the  plan  to 
the  whole  church  and  to  begin  your  preparatory  preach- 
ing. Two  things  must  be  borne  in  mind.  First,  that 
God  waits  to  visit  His  people  and  that  He  will  fulfill  His 
promises.  There  must  be  absolute  certainty  about  these 
things.  Second,  we  must  expect  results  from  God. 
"  Attempt  great  things  for  God.  Expect  great  things 
from  God." 

The  special  services  having  begun,  the  chief  atten- 
tion must  be  given  to  the  presentation  of  the  truth.  "  It 
has  always  pleased  God  to  magnify  the  preaching  of  His 
Word,  and  such  names  as  those  of  Wesley,  Whitefield, 
Edwards  and  Finney  shall  always  be  conspicuous  because 
they  have  been  such  fearless  preachers  of  His  truth  and 
have  so  clearly  given  His  thoughts  to  those  who  were 
hungering  atter  them. 

11  He  only  is  a  faithful  preacher  in  the  time  of  re- 
60 


vival  who  magnifies  Jesus  Christ.  Indeed,  there  is  no 
promise  ef  the  Holy  Ghost  to  the  one  who  presents  any 
other  theme.  The  Apostles  themselves  were  the  ideal 
preachers.  They  went  everywhere,  speaking  only  of 
Jesus  and  the  Resurrection.'' 

Press  the  truth  for  immediate  decision.  During 
Mr.  Moody's  meetings  in  New  York,  the  Rev.  R.  R. 
Booth,  D.D.,  then  pastor  of  the  University  Place  Pres- 
byterian Church,  was  deeply  impressed  with  the  value 
of  the  services  in  this  respect,  the  pressing  for  an  imme- 
diate decision.  Dr.  Booth  said:  "  Such  a  thing  as  an 
inquiry  meeting  had  never  taken  place  under  my  sober 
ministry  in  my  staid  church,  but  I  resolved  I  would  ap- 
point one.  One  Sabbath  morning  I  preached  from  the 
text,  'Come,  for  all  things  are  now  ready.'  I  said  to 
them :  *  This  sermon  presupposes  and  involves  an  invi- 
tation, now  and  here.  It  does  not  imply  that  you  are  to 
go  away  after  the  sermon  and  spend  two  or  three  hours 
exposed  to  the  influence  of  the  world,  the  flesh  and  the 
devil,  but  that  now  and  here  you  are  to  have  an  oppor- 
tunity of  accepting  Christ.'  The  inquiry  meeting  was 
appointed  and  ten  persons  came  in  and  acccepted  Christ; 
and  one  of  them  was  a  dear  young  man  for  whom  I  had 
long  been  yearning." 

Dr.  Booth  related  this  incident  at  a  minister's  con- 
ference in  New  York,  and  then  said:  "  Brethren,  have 
we  not  to  revolutionize  the  whole  system  of  preaching, 
and  change  somewhat  our  mode  of  operations?  The 
trouble  is  our  sermons  do  not  mount  to  the  climax.  If 
they  are  mere  orations  and  theories  of  Christianity,  an 
invitation  at  such  meetings  is  incongruous  and  absurd. 
But  when  the  sermon  says  Come,  from  beginning  to  end, 
61 


when  it  is  appended  to  the  cross,  when  it  is  bleeding 
with  tears  and  sobs  all  the  way  through,  then  we  can 
say,  '  Come  to  Jesus."  This  action  and  testimony 
showed  a  hearty  belief  in  revivals.  How,  indeed,  can 
their  worth  be  questioned  ? 

With  this  preparation  carefully  made  and  preaching 
after  this  type,  the  Church  will  be  revived  and  sinners 
brought  to  the  Saviour. 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

®I)e  Committees. 

Reference  has  been  made  in  several  places  in  this 
volume  to  the  various  committees  that  should  be  appoint- 
ed in  connection  with  an  Evangelistic  Campaign.  The 
committees  that  are  suggested  in  this  chapter  are  for  a 
union  meeting.  All  these  committees  should  be  appoint, 
ed  for  a  local  church,  changing  the  membership  and  other 
elements  to  suit  the  local  conditions. 

I.  The  Executive  Committee.  Dr.  Chapman  sug- 
gests that  "  if  not  more  than  five  churches  are  co-operat- 
ing, a  pastor  and  a  layman  from  each  church.  If  there 
are  between  five  and  twelve  churches,  one  pastor  or  one 
layman  from  each  church.  If  more  than  twelve  churches 
are  represented,  twelve  men  selected  with  reference  to 
the  various  denominations  and  their  relative  strength." 

The  Executive  Committee  is  to  arrange  for  all  meet- 
ings and  to  supervise  the  work  of  the  other  committees ; 
where  a  single  church  is  conducting  the  meetings  the 
Executive  Committee  may  be  composed  of  the  pastor  and 
the  chairman  of  the  other  committees. 

II.  The  Advertising   Committee.     This  is  an  im- 

62 


portant  Committee.  Wideawake  business  men  should  be 
on  it.  Generous  provision  should  be  made  for  advertis" 
ing.  Notices  of  all  sorts  should  be  widely  circulated. 
Posters  in  the  street  cars  are  a  splendid  medium  of  ad_ 
vertising  services.  A  bulletin  board  should  be  placed  in 
front  of  the  church.  Do  not  place  much  on  this  bulletin. 
The  local  papers  should  be  used  in  advertising  the  ser- 
vices. The  Committee  should  see  to  it  that  matter  is 
furnished  to  the  papers  some  weeks  previous  to  the  open, 
ing  of  the  services  and  then  every  day  during  the  services. 
Make  announcements  for  only  a  few  days  at  a  time. 

III.  The  Committee  on  Canvassing.  Divide  your 
region  into  districts,  and  have  efficient  canvassers  visit 
every  house  and  store  and  factory  and  office.  They 
had  better  carry  visiting  cards,  which  you  may  have 
printed,  leaving  a  space  for  the  names  to  be  written' 
This  should  be  done  the  week  before  the  meetings  com- 
mence.  During  the  last  week  of  the  meetings  this  Com- 
mittee may  be  used  to  make  a  religious  census  of  the  city, 
or,  in  case  the  services  are  conducted  by  one  church,  of  the 
section  of  the  city  in  which  the  church  is  situated.  The 
following  blank  has  been  used  successfully  in  taking 
this  census: 


1 

C3 

•-. 

O 
V 

a 

it! 

13 

82 

So 

a 

5 

How  many 

church 

members. 

a 

B 

u 

* 

o  a 

How  many 
children  m 
Sunday  school- 

63 


IV.  The  Music  Committee.  The  music  is  vital. 
The  church  hymnal  may  be  used,  but  the  general  opin- 
ion is  that  for  the  peculiar  work  of  these  services  the 
familiar  gospel  hymns  are  preferable.  Form  a  large 
union  choir  of  as  many  good  voices  as  are  obtainable. 
Select  a  good  leader  to  drill  the  choir,  and  engage  a  good 
organist  to  be  present  at  all  the  meetings.  Keep  the  same 
organist  for  all  the  services.  Erect  a  platform  in  the 
building  where  the  services  are  held  sufficiently  large 
to  hold  all  the  members  of  the  choir,  and  let  them  be 
grouped  closely  about  the  leader  and  the  preacher. 

V.  The  Devotional  Committee  is  to  arrange  the 
Union  Preparatory  Meetings,  select  leaders,  topics,  etc., 
and  is  to  plan  for  the  special  prayer  meetings  that  shall 
be  held  during  the  series  of  meetings.  There  should  be 
women's  prayer  meetings.  These  should  be  held  in  the 
lecture  room  of  the  church  in  which  the  afternoon  serv- 
ices are  held.  They  should  commence  forty-five  minutes 
before  the  hour  of  the  afternoon  service  and  should  ad- 
journ five  minutes  before  the  time  for  the  general  service. 
There  should  be  cottage  prayer  meetings  held  at  some 
morning  hour.  Sunrise  prayer  meetings  should  be  held 
at  least  once  a  week. 

VI.  The  Finance  Committee  is  to  receive  and  pay 
the  bills  presented  by  the  other  committees.  It  is -to 
arrange  for  local  incidental  expenses. 

First — By  assessments  on  the  churches  concernedf 
in  proportion  to  size  and  financial  strength,  or— 

Second — By  private  subscriptions  before  the  meetings 
commence.  This  is  most  important.  The  fund  will 
pay  all  the  expenses  of  the  various  committees  and  trav- 
eling expenses  and  hotel  bills  of  the  evangelists.     The 

64 


free  will  offering  is  a  matter  to  be  looked  after  by  the 
Executive  Committee. 

VII.  The  Committee  on  Ushers  and  Assistants. 
This  is  one  of  the  most  important  committees.  Much 
of  the  effectiveness  of  the  services  will  depend  upon  the 
fidelity,  faithfulness,  intelligence  and  spirituality  of  this 
committee.  Earnest  attention  is  called  to  the  sugges- 
tions which  follow.  The  plan  outlined  is  one  that  has 
been  used  in  many  of  the  largest  and  most  successful 
evangelistic  services  held  in  this  country. 

Chief  Usher — Who  has  the  superintendence  of  all 
the  work  in  the  building  during  the  meetings,  and  has 
charge  of  assistant  chief  ushers,  aisle  ushers  and  door- 
keepers. 

Assistant  Chief  Usher — Who  has  charge  of  a  certain 
number  of  ushers  and  assistants.  The  number  of  as- 
sistant chief  ushers  to  be  regulated  according  to  the 
size  of  the  building. 

Aisle  Usher — Whose  duty  it  is  to  aid  in  showing  the 
people  to  the  front  of  the  building — to  do  personal  work 
with  those  standing  near  the  door,  and  to  collect  from 
the  ushers  and  assistants  the  cards  signed  by  inquirers. 

Doorkeeper — Whose  duty  it  is  to  see  that  the  doors 
are  opened  at  the  time  announced.  To  collect  tickets 
at  all  services  where  tickets  are  used,  and  to  see  that 
people  do  not  pass  out  of  the  building  during  service, 
except  in  case  of  sickness.  The  doors  are  to  be  kept 
closed  during  the  singing  of  solos  and  during  prayer. 
The  number  of  doorkeepers  to  be  regulated  by  the  size 
of  the  building.  One  of  the  number  to  be  chief  door- 
keeper. 

65 


Regarding  the  number  of  ushers,  you  would  better 
have  one  for  every  fifty  or  sixty  people  who  can  be 
seated  in  the  building  where  the  meetings  are  to  be 
held. 

The  great  object  in  appointing  so  carefully  the 
ushers  and  assistants  is  to  be  found  in  the  fact  that, 
first,  through  the  ushers,  the  evangelist  has  the  audience 
properly  seated,  and  after  that  through  them  he  may 
keep  control  of  the  audience  in  the  minutest  detail  ; 
secondly,  through  the  ushers  and  assistants,  at  a  certain 
stage  in  the  meeting,  present  a  personal  invitation  to 
every  person  in  the  audience  to  receive  Jesus  Christ  as 
Saviour,  and  then  through  them  place  the  inquirer's  card 
in  every  hand 

The  ushers  and  assistants  should  be  on  duty  at  least 
fifteen  minutes  before  the  doors  are  opened.  The 
ushers  will  stand  in  the  rear  of  their  sections  and  direct 
people  forward.  The  usher  is  expected  to  take  his  seat 
as  soon  as  his  section  is  filled  and  remain  in  his  section 
through  the  entire  service. 

VENTILATION. 

Every  usher  should  be  familiar  with  the  working  of 
windows  and  doors  in  his  section,  and  if  they  will  not 
readily  and  noiselessly  cpen  and  close  report  the  fact,  so 
that  they  may  be  fixed.  It  is  exceedingly  important 
that  there  be  good  air.  Open  or  close  windows  or  ven- 
tilators only  upon  instruction  from  the  platform,  or  from 
the  chief  usher. 

ASSISTANTS. 

The  very  best  and  most  consecrated  people  you   have 
should  be   selected   for  assistants.     They  should  be   of 
66 


the  calibre  of  Sunday-school  teachers.  They  will  be  in  a 
position  where  they  can  be  marvellously  used  in  the 
service  of  God,  and  the  importance  of  their  duties  can- 
not be  overestimated. 

Select  assistants  from  all  churches,  three  to  every 
100  people  for  the  seating  capacity  of  the  building. 
The  qualifications  for  an  assistant  are: 

i.  The  ability  to  attend  every  evening  service 
(Saturday  excepted)  and  to  be  present  before  the  open- 
ing of  the  doors. 

2.  Spiritual  character  and  earnestness  and  willing- 
ness to  do  anything  for  Christ. 

Either  men  or  women,  young  or  old,  will  answer, 
provided  they  have  the  above  qualifications. 

There  should  be  one  assistant  for  every  thirty  to 
forty-two  people  (seating  capacity  of  the  building).  The 
diagram  below  represents  a  section  of  three  rows, 
thirty-nine  seats,  "A"  being  the  assistant,  who  is  ex- 
pected to  reach  with  cards,  encouragement,  etc.— 
that  is,  to  shepherd — the  twenty  people  inclosed  within 
the  lines,  the  others  being  reached  by  the  ushers. 


o  o  o 

en      °  °  ° 


o  o  o 


i    O 

0 

0 

0 

o  o 

O  j 

;    O 

0 

0 

A 

o 

o 

O  : 

:    O 

o 

0 

0 

0 

0 

O  : 

o  o  o 

> 

O  O  O     w 

r 
m 
o  o  o 


They  should  provide  themselves  with  cards  and 
pencils  directly  on  entering  the  building  each  night, 
and  be  in  their  places  before  the  general  doors  are 
opened. 

67 


The  position  of  each  usher  should  be  in  the  rear  of 
the  section  assigned  him,  where  he  should  reserve  a 
seat  in  the  end  of  the  row. 

CHAPTER    XVIII. 

&fter  tl)£  Sermou  in  an  Gfrjangelistic  Service, 

By  the  Rev.  R.  A.  Torrey,  D.D. 

From  a  Chapter  in  a  Volume  by  Dr.  R.  A.  Torrey  on 
"  How  to  Promote  and  Conduct  a  Successful  Revival." 

The  moment  the  last  word  of  the  sermon  is  uttered 
there  should  be  opportunity  for  decisions.  This  oppor- 
tunity may  be  given  in  a  variety  of  ways.  You  may  ask 
the  audience  to  bow  a  few  moments  in  silent  prayer,  in- 
sisting courteously,  but  firmly,  that  no  one  go  out  for  a 
few  moments,  If  the  interest  is  deep  enough,  you  may 
then  ask  "all  who  wish  to  be  saved,"  or  "all  who  have 
made  up  their  minds  now  and  here  to  accept  Christ  as 
their  personal  Saviour,  to  surrender  to  Him  as  their  Lord 
and  Master,  and  to  begin  to  confess  Him  as  such  before 
the  world,"  to  rise  (or  come  forward  and  give  me  your 
hand,  or  come  kneel  at  the  altar).  If  you  think  the  in- 
terest hardly  warrants  that,  you  can  ask  *  'all  in  the 
audience  who  are  burdened  for  unsaved  friends,"  or 
1  'all  who  are  anxious  for  the  salvation  of  some  friends  in 
this  audience,"  to  rise.  When  they  have  risen,  invite  all 
who  wish  to  be  saved  right  now  to  rise.  It  is  not  well 
usually  in  the  general  meeting  to  ask  all  Christians  to 
rise,  as  this  makes  it  awkward  for  the  unsaved,  and  they 
may  not  come  back  again.  Another  good  way  is  to  say, 
"We  are  going  to  sing  a  hymn  and  I  don't  want  anyone 
68 


to  go  out  until  it  is  finished.  The  Holy  Spirit  is  work- 
ing in  this  meeting  ''  (don't  say  that  unless  He  is),  "  and 
anyone  moving  about  may  disturb  some  one  just  on  the 
verge  of  a  decision  for  Christ.  Now,  while  we  sing  the 
second  verse,  all  who  will  accept  Christ  (don't  say,  'if 
any  one  will ')  arise."  Stop  when  the  second  verse  is 
sung  andicall  for  decisions.  Then  sing  the  third  and  the 
fourth,  etc.,  in  a  similar  way.  If  you  are  fortunate  enough 
to  have  an  altar  in  the  church  where  you  are  preaching, 
it  is  often  better  to  have  them  come  to  the  altar.  If  you 
have  no  altar,  you  can  have  the  front  seats  emptied  and 
use  them  for  an  altar.  A  solo  may  be  used,  in  place  of 
a  congregational  hymn.  Still  another  way  is  to  say,  as 
you  close  your  sermon,  "We  are  going  to  have  a  second 
meeting,  to  give  those  who  have  been  converted  here 
to-night  and  all  who  are  interested  an  opportunity  to 
accept  Christ  now  and  enter  at  once  into  the  joy  of  the 
Christian  life.  We  want  every  man  who  is  interested  in 
his  soul's  salvation  and  all  Christians  to  stay  to  that 
second  meeting.  You  can't  afford  to  go  away."  It  is 
usually  better  to  have  the  second  meeting  in  another 
room,  if  there  is  one  that  the  people  have  to  pass  as  they 
go  out.  Have  wise  workers  posted  at  every  door  of  this 
room  to  invite  and  urge  the  people  to  come  in  as  they 
pass.  WThen  the  interest  is  very  deep  you  can  have  the 
second  meeting  in  another  building.  Have  the  singing 
in  the  second  meeting  begin  at  once  as  the  people  come 
in.  When  all  are  in,  have  absolute  silence,  and  then 
silent  prayer.  Perhaps  two  or  three  audible  prayers  by 
men  and  women  whom  you  can  trust  as  really  knowing 
God  may  follow.  (Don't  take  any  chances  at  this  point 
and  let  some  crank  spoil  your  meeting).  The  next  thing 
69 


to  do  varies  with  circumstances.  You  may  call  for  an 
expression  at  once.  If  the  interest  is  very  deep,  call  at 
once  for  those  who  wish  to  accept  Christ  to  rise  or  come 
forward.  On  other  occasions  ask  "all  who  have  ac- 
cepted Christ  and  know  that  they  are  saved  and  are 
walking  in  fellowship  with  Christ "  to  arise.  Now  you 
and  your  workers  see  who  the  persons  to  deal  with  are. 
Next  ask  those  who  wish  to  become  Christians  to  arise. 
It  may  be  well  to  sing  one  or  several  verses  as  this  is 
done.  One  and  another  and  another  and  then  many  will 
arise.  Wherever  it  is  possible,  it  is  well  to  have  now 
still  a  third  room,  into  which  those  who  have  risen  as 
desiring  to  become  Christians  shall  go.  Have  a  wise 
man  in  charge  of  this  room  until  you  get  there  yourself. 
Have  him  put  one  worker,  and  only  one,  with  each  in- 
quirer. These  workers  should  be  trained  for  the  work. 
Every  church  should  have  a  training  class  for  this  pur- 
pose .  When  you  have  gotten  all  you  can  into  the  inside 
room,  turn  the  outside  meeting  into  a  meeting  for  testi- 
mony and  prayer,  which  either  you  or  some  wise  worker 
manages.  It  is  a  great  advantage  to  have  a  choir  leader 
who  can  do  that.  The  unconverted  ones  who  have  not 
gone  into  the  inside  room  can  be  gotten  hold  of  person- 
ally in  this  testimony  meeting  or  afterward.  Don't 
have  any  holes  in  your  net  anywhere  if  you  can  avoid  it. 
Sometimes,  in  the  second  meeting,  it  is  well  to  ask  all 
who  were  converted  after  they  were  fifty  to  rise,  then 
those  who  were  converted  after  they  were  forty,  thirty, 
twenty,  ten,  before  they  were  ten.  Then  ask  all  who 
will  accept  Jesus  to-night  to  arise.  Then  all  who  really 
desire  to  know  the  way  of  life.  A  good  method  to  use 
occasionally  in  the  second  meeting  is  to  ask  all  who 
70 


were  converted  after  they  were  fifty  to  come  forward 
and  gather  about  the  platform,  then  those  who  were 
converted  after  they  were  forty,  etc.  This  will  gradu- 
ally thin  out  those  who  are  seated,  and  the  unconverted 
will  find  themselves  being  left  behind,  and  it  will  set 
some  of  them  to  thinking.  Especially  will  this  be  true 
if  a  man  sees  his  wife  leaving  him,  or  a  son  sees  a 
mother.  Some  one  may  think  that  there  is  too  much 
method  and  manoeuvering  in  all  this,  but  it  wins  souls, 
and  that  is  worth  manoeuvering  for.  Jesus,  Himself,  told 
us  to  be  "wise  as  serpents,"  and  also  said  that  "the  sons 
of  this  world  are  in  their  own  generation  wiser  than 
the  sons  of  light."  Evidently  Jesus  would  have  us  ex- 
ercise all  honest  ingenuity  in  accomplishing  His  work, 
especially  the  work  of  soul  winning.  It  is  lawful,  as 
Paul's  example  shows,  to  catch  them  '  'with  guile"  (2  Cor. 
12:16).  The  methods  suggested  will  suggest  still  others. 
The  great  purpose  of  all  these  methods  is  to  get  many 
to  commit  themselves  and  to  bring  them  to  a  decision 
to  accept  Christ.  Much  good  preaching  comes  to  noth- 
ing because  it  is  not  driven  home  to  the  individual  and 
the  individual  brought  then  and  there  to  an  acceptance 
and  confession  of  Jesus  as  Saviour  and  as  Lord.  When 
one  has  been  led  to  accept  Jesus,  an  immediate  public 
confession  (then  and  there)  should  be  insisted  upon. 
(Rom.  10,  9:10.) 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

$!)£  2tfter  meeting. 

This  is  the  time  when  the  most  important  work  has 
to  be  done.     As  soon  as  the  second  meeting    is    an- 

7i 


notmced,  the  workers  will  go  to  the  front  of  their  sec- 
tions. Urge  people  who  seem  impressed  or  interc  ted  to 
remain ;  especially  see  that  people  who  have  risen  for 
prayers,  or  who  have  signed  cards,  remain.  If  ninety-five 
out  of  a  hundred  start  to  go,  it  is  natural  for  the  five  oth- 
ers to  follow,  even  if  they  have  been  spiritually  interested- 
It  is  the  worker's  business  to  see  that  they  do  not  go  out. 
As  soon  as  possible  bring  people  from  the  rear  toward 
the  front,  and  from  the  sides  to  the  center,  and  sit  with 
them  in  the  after-meeting.  See  if  there  is  not  some  one 
whom  you  can  help.  It  will  not  do  to  have  very  timid 
people  for  workers  unless  they  are  willing  to  overcome 
their  timidity  for  Christ's  sake,  and  do  this  work  thor- 
oughly. If  possible,  shake  hands  with  people  whom  you 
do  not  know,  as  well  as  with  those  whom  you  do,  among 
the  inquirers,  and  speak  words  of  good  cheer  and  en- 
couragement. Pray  with  them  when  you  have  the  op- 
portunity. Sometimes  a  kind  word  at  the  close  of  the 
last  meeting  may  win  a  soul  for  Christ. 

The  Bible  should  be  freely  used  in  the  after-meeting. 
Let  the  leader  read  some  portion  that  bears  directly  upon 
the  purpose  of  the  meeting,  which  is  not  instruction  nor 
edification,  but  salvation. 

The  praying  in  the  after-meeting,  like  the  address 
and  the  testimony,  should  be  but  for  one  thing — the  sal- 
vation of  the  lost. 

When  an  inquirer  has  come  to  the  point  of  accepting 
Christ,  kneel  with  him  and  ask  him  to  pray  aloud. 

Do  not   get  into  any  discussion   with  inquirers  and 

spend  no  time  in   answering  curious   questions.     Dr.  A. 

C.  Dixon  quotes  an  incident  that  illustrates  Mr.  Moody's 

tact  in  dealing  with  the  curious.     "A  man  came  to  Mr. 

72 


Moody  in  an  after-meeting  with  a  long  list  of  hard  ques- 
tions. Mr.  Moody  said,  '  I  will  answer  your  questions 
if  you  will  promise  me  to  do  one  thing.'  •  What  is  it  ?  * 
'  Promise  me  you  will  do  it  before  I  tell  you.'  '  No 
sensible  man  does  a  thing  like  that.'  '  Will  you  prom- 
ise me,  then,  that  you  will  try  to  do  it  ? '  '  Yes,  I  can 
make  that  promise.'  '  Well,  give  your  heart  to  Jesus 
Christ  and  then  come  to  me  with  your  questions.'  The 
man  went  away  disappointed,  but  two  nights  afterwards 
he  returned  with  a  radiant  face  and  told  Mr.  Moody 
that  he  had  done  what  he  had  asked  him  to  do  and  that, 
for  twenty-four  hours,  he  had  been  oue  of  the  happie  t 
men  on  earth.  '  Where  are  your  questions  ? '  asked  Mr. 
Moody.  *  I  haven't  any,'  he  said.  '  The  moment  I  ac- 
cepted Jesus  Christ  they  were  all  answered,  or  appeared 
so  insignificant  that  they  were  not  worth  answering/ 
Philip  might  have  spent  hours  answering  the  eunuch's 
questions  about  Isaiah,  but  he  began  at  the  same  Scrip- 
ture and  preached  unto  him  Jesus.  Let  us  follow  his 
example." 

I  quote  again  from  Dr.  Dixon's  splendid  article  on 
"The  After-Meeting"  in  Dr.  Torrey'swork  on  "  How  to 
Promote  and  Conduct  a  Successful  Revival."  "  A 
whispered  word,  or  even  an  elbow  touch  from  a  friend 
may  do  more  than  twenty  sermons  in  leading  to  a  de- 
cision. An  earnest  business  man  in  New  York  City  told 
me  it  was  not  the  sermon,  nor  a  word,  but  just  a  touch  on 
the  shoulder  which  led  him  to  confess  Christ  before  men. 
He  had  already  accepted  Him  as  Saviour  and  just  needed 
this  little  encouragement.  He  said:  'While  the  evan- 
gelist was  inviting  all  who  loved  Christ  to  confess  Him 
by  going  forward  and  giving  him  the  hand,  I  felt  a  gen- 

73 


tie  touch  on  my  shoulder.  I  looked  around  and  saw  the 
face  of  an  old  friend  looking  wistfully  at  me.  He  did 
not  utter  a  word,  but  I  knew  what  he  meant,  and  I  went 
right  up  and  gave  him  my  hand.  This  was  the  begin- 
ning of  a  business  man's  Christian  life." 

CHAPTER  XX. 

IjotD  to  &ib  Jhtqmrers. 

By  the  Rev.  J.  Wilbur  Chapman,  D.D. 

Always  use  God's  Word  and  if  your  experience  is 
quoted  at  all  only  let  it  be  used  to  emphasize  the  Scrip- 
ture. In  the  general  meetings  you  will  find  it  easy  to 
put  the  question  very  kindly  and  courteously  to  the  peo- 
ple, "Are  you  a  Christian?"  If  the  answer  is  "no" 
help  them  in  every  way  you  can.  You  will  find  about 
you  four  classes  of  inquirers. 

i.     CHRISTIANS  WHO  LACK  ASSURANCE. 

The  first  epistle  of  John  was  written  to  help  this 
class.     Emphasize  I  John  5:  13. 

2.     BACKSLIDERS. 

Read  the  prophecy  of  Jeremiah  for  yourself  and  give 
them  its  spirit.  Use  Jeremiah  3 :  12,  13.  Read  Hosea, 
14th  chapter,  especially  the  opening  verses. 

3.    THOSE  SLIGHTLY  CONVICTED. 

Read  Romans,  3:  10,  23.  It  is  useless  to  give  the 
consolations  of  the  Gospel  until  there  is  consciousness 
of  sin. 

74 


4.     THE  DEEPLY  CONVICTED. 

Read  Isaiah  43:  25  and  44:  22.  John  I:  11,  12.  Tell 
them  they  may  be  sure  of  their  salvation.  Read  John 
3:  16,  John  5:  24,  John  6:  47,  Romans  6:  23. 

The  following  excuses  may  be  presented ;  if  so,  an- 
swer them  with  God's  Word: 

1.     I  CAN'T  UNDERSTAND. 

"There  is  none  that  understandeth,  there  is  none 
that  seeketh  after  God."     Romans  3:  11. 

"But  the  natural  man  receiveth  not  the  things  of  the 
spirit  of  God,  for  they  are  foolishness  unto  him,  neither 
can  he  know  them  because  they  are  spiritually  dis- 
cerned."    I  Cor.  2:  14. 

2.    AFRAID  OF  FALLING. 

"Being  confident  of  this  very  thing,  that  He  which 
hath  begun  a  good  work  in  you  will  perform  it  until  the 
day  of  Jesus  Christ."     Phil.  1 :  6. 

"Kept  by  the  power  of  God  through  faith  unto  sal- 
vation, ready  to  be  revealed  in  the  last  time."  I  Peter 
1:  5. 

3.  AFRAID  OF  TEMPTATION. 

"There  hath  no  temptation  taken  you  but  such  as  is 
common  to  man;  but  God  is  faithful,  who  will  not  suffer 
you  to  be  tempted  above  that  ye  are  able ;  but  will,  with 
the  temptation,  also  make  a  way  to  escape,  that  ye  may 
be  able  to  bear  it."     I  Cor.  10:  13. 

"For,  in  that  He  Himself  hath  suffered,  being 
tempted,  He  is  able  to  succor  them  that  are  tempted." 

Heb.  2: 18. 

75 


4.  INCONSISTENT  CHRISTIANS  PRESENT. 

"But  why  dost  thou  judge  thy  brother?  Or  why 
dost  thou  set  at  naught  thy  brother?  For  we  shall  all 
stand  before  the  judgment  seat  of  Christ.  So,  then, 
every  one  of  us  shall  give  account  of  himself  to  God." 
Romans  14:  10,   12. 

"Therefore  thou  art  inexcusable,  O  man,  whosoever 
thou  art  that  judgest,  for  wherein  thou  judgest  another 
thou  condemnest  thyself ."     Romans  2:  1. 

5.    WHEN  TO  BELIEVE. 

"Choose  you  this  day  whom  you  will  serve."     Josh. 

24:  15. 

"Come,  for  all  things  are  now  ready,"     Luke  14:  17. 
"Behold,  now  is  the  accepted  time  ;   behold,  now  is 
the  day  of  salvation."     II  Cor.  6:  2. 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

&i)t  Snqturofs  (tarb. 

These  cards  are  to  be  distributed  by  the  ushers  and 
assistants.  Sometimes  the  cards  will  be  used  two  or 
three  times.  The  purpose  of  the  cards  is  to  secure  the 
names  and  addresses  of  all  who  show  any  interest,  in 
order  that  they  may  be  visited  and  any  impression 
that  may  have  been  made  upon  them  deepened. 
Cards  are  to  be  handed  to  each  person.  The  ushers  are 
to  hand  the  cards  to  those  near  the  ends  of  the  seats 
and  the  assistants  to  those  immediately  around  them, 
both  at  the  sides  and  in  the  front  and  rear.  Watch 
the  people  in  your  section  carefully,  observing  those 
76 


who  rise  for  prayer,  helping  others  to  rise  if  you  think 
they  are  impressed  or  hesitating,  and  make  it  easy  for 
them  to  indicate  their  interest,  both  in  rising  and  sign- 
ing the  cards.  When  the  ushers  and  assistants  collect 
the  cards,  let  them  look  at  them  immediately  to  see  that 
the  address  and  the  pastor  and  the  church  are  indicated. 
If  any  line  is  blank,  try  to  get  the  information  without 
being  intrusive,  and  fill  out  the  card  with  the  information 
that  is  lacking.  Do  not  try  to  iufluence  any  one  as  to 
what  church  he  shall  attend.  When  an  announcement 
is  made  concerning  the  distribution  of  the  cards,  the 
ushers  should  pass  all  through  their  sections,  first  dis- 
tributing them  and  afterwards  collecting  them.  The 
assistants  should  stand  up  in  their  places — do  not  try  to 
do  it  sitting  down.  Be  on  the  alert  to  help  carry  out 
every  suggestion  that  may  be  made  from  the  platform. 
A  good  form  for  the  inquirer's  card  is  this: 

I  have  an  honest  desire  henceforth  to  live  a  Chris- 
tian life. 

I  am  willing  to  follow  any  light  God  may  give 
me. 

I  ask  the  people  of  God  to  pray  for  me. 

Name 

Residence 

Church  or  pastor  preferred 

Usher's  name 

Not  every  one  who  signs  this  is  a  convert,  but 
lie  is  an  inquirer,  and  as  such  is  in  an  attitude  in  which  he 
can  be  easily  won.  Dr.  Chapman  says  that  in  his  pas- 
toral experience  he  was  ableito  reach  nine  out  of  ten  of 
all  who  had  signed  the  cards. 
77 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

&ftcr  ifje  ittestinga. 

By  the  Rev.  J.  F.  Carson,  D.D. 

Evangelism  is  a  broad  work.  It  means  the  estab- 
lishment of  essential  righteousness  in  individual  human 
souls.  That  carries  with  it  the  enlightening  of  the  mind, 
the  quickening  of  the  conscience,  the  energizing  of  the 
will,  the  purifying  of  the  affections,  the  exalting  of  the 
aims  and  aspirations  of  men,  so  that  the  whole  being 
shall  be  brought  into  harmony  with  the  will  of  God. 

The  criticism  is  often  heard  that  many  of  those  who 
unite  with  the  church  after  a  series  of  special  meetings 
do  not  hold  out.  That  criticism  is,  in  most  instances,  a 
criticism  of  the  church.  The  special  meetings  accom- 
plished their  purpose  but  the  church  failed  in  her  work. 
It  is  the  business  of  the  church  to  follow  up  the  special 
meetings  with  instruction  and  help  to  all  converts.  With 
the  close  of  the  special  meetings  the  work  of  the  church 
begins.  During  the  meetings  some  have  been  impelled 
to  begin  the  Christian  life,  some  to  re-dedicate  themselves 
to  God  for  more  zealous  service.  It  is  a  critical  time. 
"  The  sheep  are  gathered,  but  not  yet  safely  folded." 
The  shepherd  must  know  now,  if  never  before,  what  it 
means  tor  a  good  shepherd  to  give  his  life  for  the  sheep. 
The  work  that  follows  special  services  is  boundless  and 
the  pastor  and  session  who  are  not  prepared  to  do  that 
work  had  better  not  have  any  special  services.  To  neg- 
lect the  work  that  should  be  done  after  the  special 
meetings  will  be  for  the  pastor  to  find  that  the  last  state 
of  some  of  those  who  were  impressed  in  the  special   ser- 

7S 


vices  is  worse  than  the  first.     How  may  the  baneful  ef- 
fects of  reaction  be  prevented  ? 

Form  the  new  converts  and  all  others  who  wish  to 
grow  in  spiritual  things  into  a  class  or  classes  for  the 
study  of  the  Bible  and  for  conference  on  spiritual  things. 
Instruction  is  needed.    This  is  vital. 

Have  the  convert  make  a  confession  of  his  faith  by 
uniting  with  the  church.  Whether  this  should  be  done 
before  the  instruction  in  the  class  is  given,  or  after,  must 
be  determined  by  the  individual  conditions.  In  no  in- 
stances let  the  convert  feel  that  he  has  been  put  on  pro- 
bation. 

Find  or  make  some  kind  of  work  for  all  who  have 
been  quickened.  Modify  the  existing  organizations  in 
the  church,  if  necessary,  or  organize  new  ones  to  meet 
the  new  conditions. 

Have  all  begin  at  once  to  support  financially  the 
work  of  the  church.  This  must  be  done  with  great  tact 
and  by  personal  conference.  Get  each  convert  to  begin 
to  appropriate  a  definite  portion  of  his  income  to  the 
Lord's  treasury. 

Have  each  establish  a  family  altar  in  his  home.  Let 
the  pastor  ask  the  privilege  of  calling  some  evening  for 
the  purpose  of  dedicating  such  an  altar. 

Personal  counsel  must  be  freely  given.  Opportuni- 
ties for  conference  must  be  given.  All  this  will  require 
time.  The  weakness  of  much  of  modern  evangelism  is 
its  passion  for  immediacy,  its  sensitiveness  to  the  inter- 
ests of  the  passing  hour.  The  real  and  effective  evan- 
gelistic service  is  a  long  one,  it  continues  long  after  the 
special  meetings  have  closed. 

79 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 

Personal  iDorH. 

By  the  Rev.  J.  F.  Carson,  D.D. 

All  Christians  recognize  the  importance  of  personal 
work.  The  whole  story  of  the  growth  of  the  Church  em- 
phasizes its  importance.  It  was  the  personal  work  of 
Andrew  that  brought  Peter  to  Christ.  Philip  brought 
Nathaniel.  It  was  the  personal  work  of  M.  Kimball, 
the  Boston  business  man,  that  led  D.  L.  Moody  to 
Christ.  Lord  Shaftsbury  was  won  to  Christ  in  a  godless 
home  by  the  personal  work  of  a  nurse  girl.  H.  Clay 
Trumbull  was  brought  to  Christ  through  a  letter  from  a 
friend — a  letter  definitely  asking  him  to  give  himself  to 
Christ.  John  B.  Gough  was  won  to  God  by  the  personal 
work  of  Joel  Stratton. 

While  all  Christians  appreciate  the  value  of  personal 
work,  yet  there  are  comparatively  few  who  ever  make 
an  intelligent  personal  effort  to  lead  any  one  to  Christ. 
This  work  has  not  the  attractions  that  some  other  work 
has.  Dealing  with  the  one  man  seems  insignificant  as 
compared  with  preaching  to  a  thousand.  But  it  may 
mean  more.  John  B.  Gough  said  of  the  one  loving  word 
of  Joel  Stratton  that  won  him:  "  My  friend,  it  may  be  a 
small  matter  for  you  to  speak  the  one  word  for  Christ 
that  wins  a  needy  soul,  a  small  matter  to  you,  but  it  is 
everything  to  Him."  It  is  forgetting  this  truth  that 
causes  personal  work  to  be  neglected. 

It  is  this  personal  work  that  tells.  Winning  one  soul  at 
a  time  usually  results  in  the  winning  of  a  multitude  of 
souls  in   the  process  of  time.     The  failure  to  engage  in 

80 


personal  work  is  not  due  in  many  instances  to  a  lack  of 
appreciation  of  the  need  of  such  work,  nor  to  an  unwil- 
lingness to  engage  in  it,  but  to  a  sense  of  inability  to  do 
it,  a  lack  of  knowledge  as  to  some  practical  method. 

This  places  a  responsibility  on  the  pastor  and 
leader  in  spiritual  work.  There  should  be  instruction 
given  on  the  subject  of  personal  work.  Form  a  class  and 
give  instruction  on  such  themes  as:  "  How  to  use  the 
Bible  in  dealing  with  individual  inquirers,  "  How  to 
approach  men  about  Christ,"  "The  way  to  pray,"  "How 
to  deal  with  doubt." 

The  Book  of  Acts  is  the  text  book  on  personal  work. 
Study  the  methods  of  Philip,  Paul  and  the  other  Apos- 
tles, each  one  finding  his  man  or  woman  and  then  seeing 
the  work  spread  in  Samaria,  Lystra,  Antioch,  Philippi 
and  elsewhere. 

Personal  work  pre-supposes  five  things.  First,  that 
the  worker  is  himself  saved.  There  must  be  a  saved 
man  behind  the  offer  of  salvation.  Some  time  ago  I 
preached  a  simple  Gosp. ;1  sermon  in  the  Westminster  Re- 
formed Presbyterian  Church  of  Newburgh,  N.  Y.,  where 
my  dear  friend,  the  Rev.  Dr.  J.  R.  Thompson,  has  been 
the  honored  pastor  for  nearly  forty  years.  At  the  close 
of  the  service  a  good  woman  of  the  church  greeted  me 
with  the  word:  "  Sir,  I  am  persuaded  that  you  could  not 
point  out  the  way  to  Christ  so  clearly  unless  you  had 
traveled  it  yourself."  The  only  way  you  know  is  the 
way  you  have  traveled.  You  cannot  lead  one  to  Christ 
in  personal  work  unless  you  know  the  way  by  personal 
experience. 

Personal  work  pre-supposes,  second,  that  the  worker 
leads  a  consistent  life.  Emerson  said:  "  What  you  are 
Sz 


speaks  so  loud  that  I  cannot  hear  what  you  say."  What 
you  are  is  what  the  man  you  deal  with  hears.  A  clean, 
consistent  life  is  essential  to  personal  work. 

Personal  work  pre-supposes,  third,  that  the  worker 
has  a  deep  realization  of  the  value  of  a  soul  and  of  what 
it  means  for  a  soul  to  be  saved  or  lost ;  that  he  believes 
in  Christ's  power  to  save  souls,  and  above  all  things  else 
longs  for  their  salvation.  The  one  who  does  personal 
work  must    love  men  and  have  compassion  for  the  lost. 

Personal  work  pre-supposes,  fourth,  that  the  worker 
is  a  man  of  tact  or  wisdom  in  dealing  with  individuals. 
'  Personal  work  pre-supposes,  fifth,  that  the  worker  is 
a  man  of  prayer  and  that  he  has  had  the  definite  experi- 
ence of  baptism  with  the  Holy  Spirit. 

These  things  being  assumed,  what  suggestions  can 
be  made  as  to  doing  personal  work  ?  I  quote  the  follow- 
ing eighteen  points  from  Dr.  R.  A.  Torrey's  book  on 
"How  to  Work  for  Christ."  These  are  his  hints  to  per- 
sonal workers. 

I.  As  a  rule,  choose  persons  to  deal  with  of  your  own 
sex. 

II.  As  a  rule,  choose  persons  to  deal  with  about  your 
own  age.  A  young  man  as  a  rule  can  get  hold  of  young 
men  better  than  any  one  else  can,  and  a  man  of  mature 
years  can  handle  a  man  of  his  own  age  better  than  a 
young  man,  or  even  better  than  an  old  man. 

III.  Whenever  it  is  possible,  deal  with  a  person 
alone.  No  one  likes  to  open  his  heart  freely  to  another 
on  the  most  personal  and  sacred  of  all  subjects  when 
there  are  others  present. 

IV.  Let  your  reliance  be  wholly  in  the  Spirit  of  God 

S2 


and  in  the  Word  of  God.     Have   no  confidence  in  your- 
self. 

V.  Do  not  content  yourself  with  merely  reading  pas- 
sages from  the  Bible,  much  less  with  merely  quoting 
them,  but  have  the  one  with  whom  you  are  dealing  read 
the  passages  himself. 

VI.  It  is  oftentimes  well  to  use  but  a  single  passage 
of  Scripture. 

VII.  Always  hold  the  person  with  whom  you  are 
dealing  to  the  main  point  of  accepting  Christ. 

VIII.  Be  courteous.  Many  well-meaning  but  indis- 
creet Christians  by  their  rudeness  and  impertinence  re- 
pel those  whom  they  could  win  to  Christ. 

IX.  Avoid  unwarranted  familiarities  with  those 
with  whom  you  deal.  There  is  no  place  where  good 
breeding  counts  for  more  than  in  personal  work. 

X.  Be  dead  in  earnest. 

XI.  Never  lose  your  temper  when  trying  to  lead  a 
soul  to  Christ. 

XII.  Never  have  a  heated  argument  with  one  whom 
you  would  lead  to  Christ. 

XIII.  Never  interrupt  any  one  else  who  is  dealing 
with  a  soul. 

XIV.  Don't  be  in  a  hurry. 

XV.  Get  the  person  with  whom  you  are  dealing  on 
bis  knees  before  God.  This  rule  has  exceptions.  Some- 
times it  is  not  possible  to  get  the  person  to  kneel,  and 
sometimes  it  is  not  wise ;  but  it  is  wonderful  how  many 
difficulties  disappear  in  prayer. 

XVI.  Whenever  you  seem  to  fail  in  any  given  case, 
go  home  and  pray  over  it  and  study  it  to  see  why  you 
failed.     Never  give  up  a  case  because  of  one  failure. 

?3 


XVII.  Before  parting  with  the  one  who  has  accept- 
ed Christ,  be  sure  to  give  him  definite  instructions  as  to 
how  to  succeed  in  the  Christian  life. 

XVIII.  When  you  have  led  anyone  to  Christ,  follow 
him  up  and  help  him  in  the  development  of  his  Christian 
life. 

In  a  little  book  issued  by  the  International  Commit- 
tee of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  the  follow- 
ing suggestions  are  given : 

Pray  for  opportunities.     Watch  for  opportunities. 

Center  on  one  man. 

Where  possible,  study  the  man  in  advance,  and  the 
best  time  and  way  to  approach  him. 

Make  an  engagement  for  an  interview  with  him, 
under  the  most  favorable  conditions,  without  necessarily 
informing  him  in  advance  of  the  object. 

Seek  to  attract ;  avoid  antagonizing.  Remember  we 
are  to  win  men.  Act  according  to  Paul's  method; 
I.    Cor.  ix:  19-22.     Avoid  cant;  be  natural. 

Realize  that  you  are  doing  a  great  thing  for  the  man 
whom  you  are  seeking  to  win  to  Christ. 

Deal  with  the  man  alone.  Find  out  what  he  believes 
rather  than  what  he  does  not  believe,  and  thus  learn 
most  hopeful  ways  of  approach.  Ascertain  also  the  stage 
he  has  actually  reached  in  his  experience,  e.  g.,  does  he 
yet  recognize  his  sinfulness  and  helplessness. 

Endeavor  to  meet  his  difficulty  as  it  really  exists,  and 
not  necessarily  according  to  some  preconceived  plan  of 
your  own. 

Use  your  Bible  in  the  interview,  and,  where  expedi- 
ent, have  the  man  read  from  it  for  himself. 

84 


Avoid  technical,  religious  terms,  not  commonly  un- 
derstood among  unconverted  men. 

Avoid  the  spirit  of  controversy. 

Do  not  be  satisfied  with  meeting  a  man's  objections; 
but  also  clearly  present  to  him  the  Gospel. 

Be  in  constant  prayer,  and  rely  implicitly  on  the 
Holy  Spirit. 

Press  the  man  to  an  immediate  decision,  if  possible- 

Never  give  a  man  up. 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

QV  Committee  of  ©ne  §unfcrek 


®l)e    Storg   of  a  ftemarkabU  fcOork  in  ODne 
arijnvcl). 

By  the  Rev.  J.  M.  McElhinney, 

Assistant  Pastor  of  the   Central   Presbyterian   Church, 
Rochester,  N.  Y. 

On  the  first  Sabbath  in  October,  1900,  Dr.  Henry 
H.  Stebbins,  pastor  of  the  Central  Presbyterian  Church, 
Rochester,  New  York,  suggested  to  his  people  as  a  fit- 
ting and  triumphant  close  to  the  nineteenth  century  that 
at  least  one  hundred  people  be  brought  into  the  fold  of 
Christ,  one  for  each  year  of  the  century.  One  of  the 
elders  of  the  church,  hearing  the  suggestion,  said  to 
himself,  "Why  cannot  a  committee  of  one  hundred  be  se- 
cured to  carry  this  into  effect?"  His  confidence  in  the 
plan  was  so  strong  that  at  a  meeting,  a  few  days  later, 
of  St.  Paul's  Brotherhood,  a  band  of  twenty-one  young 

85 


men  in  Central  Church  organized  for  Christian  work,  he 
produced  one  hundred  cards  printed  and  numbered,  and 
received  their  unanimous  and  enthusiastic  endorsement. 
The  cards  were  equally  distributed  throughout  the 
Brotherhood,  with  the  understanding  that  each  member 
should  sign  a  card  for  himself'  and  that  he  should  com- 
mit the  other  cards  to  persons  who  might  be  depended 
upon  for  the  work. 

FACE   OF  THE   CARD. 

194  Central  Church,  1900. 

COMMITTEE  OF  ONE  HUNDRED. 

By  affixing  my  signature  to  this  card,  I  desire  mem- 
bership in  above  Committee,  and  agree  to  fulfill  to  the 
best  of  my  ability  the  object  of  the  Committee.  (See 
other  side.) 

Address — 

Note. — Return  this  card  to  any  member  of  St.  Paul's 
Brotherhood  of  this  church. 

BACK   OF  THE  CARD. 

The  object  of  this  committee  is,  if  possible,  to  bring 
into  the  membership  of  this  Church  at  least  one  hundred 
at  the  next  communion,  which  occurs  the  first  Sunday 
morning  in  December,  and  will  be  the  last  reception  to 
new  members  in  the  present  century.  This  is  putting 
into  effect  the  suggestion  and  desire  of  Dr.  Stebbins  as 
stated  by  him  Sunday  morning,  October  7,  which  was  as 
follows:  "As  a  fitting  way  to  close  the  present  century, 
86 


why  not  have  anew  member  to  represent  each  year  in 
it?"  Membership  in  this  Committee  means  that  you 
will  be  responsible  for  at  least  one. 

The  above  card  embodied  the  plan,  which  was  after 
Dr.  Stebbins'  own  heart.  At  the  meeting  of  the  Broth- 
erhood, above  referred  to,  he  expressed  his  great  grat- 
ification at  the  adoption  of  such  a  method,  and  predicted 
for  it  the  largest  success,  since  it  was  the  realization  of 
an  ideal  which  throughout  his  ministry  he  had  cherished 
as  the  preferred  Gospel  method  of  winning  men,  women 
and  children  to  Christ. 

While  these  cards  were  being  circulated  for  signa- 
tures, letters  were  sent  to  teachers  of  the  Bible  School 
and  members  of  the  Christian  Endeavor  Society,  copies 
of  which  are  here  inserted. 

CENTRAL  CHURCH. 

Rochester,  October  12,  1900, 
Dear  Friend  and  Associate  in  the  Bible  School  of  Cen- 
tral Church : 

I  am  still  possessed  with  the  suggestion  I  threw  out 
at  the  communion  table  last  Sunday  morning,  that  we, 
as  a  church,  and  in  our  several  departments  of  work, 
should  aim  to  make  the  most  of  the  few  days  that  remain 
before  the  end  of  the  century.  So  I,  naturally,  turn  to 
you  for  the  willing  and  generous  co-operation  which  I 
know  you  will  manifest.  The  field  I  associate  with  you 
is  the  class  which  it  is  your  privilege  to  instruct.  I  pre- 
sume there  is  not  a  class  in  the  school  in  which  there  are 
not  members  who  either  are  not  Christians  or,  if  Chris- 
tians, are  not  members  of  the  church.  I  heard  one 
teacher  say  the  other  day  that  after  a  careful  canvass 

87 


it  was  found  that  fifty  per  cent,  of  his  class  were  not 
church  members. 

Now  what  I  propose  is  a  short,  sharp  and  decisive 
campaign,  covering  the  forty-nine  days  that  remain  after 
next  Sunday  before  the  next  Communion,  the  first  Sun- 
day morning  of  December,  which  will  be  our  last  Com- 
munion of  the  century.  I  would  urge,  with  that  end  in 
view,  that  you  secure  as  large  an  attendance  as  possible 
of  your  class ;  that  absentees  be  looked  up ;  and  that  the 
work  of  the  class  be  followed  up  by  the  call  or  the  let- 
ter, or  both,  as  shall  seem  desirable  and  possible.  I 
would  specially  urge  that  more  than  ever  you  steep  the 
lesson  in  prayer,  and  focus  it  upon  the  apparently  un- 
converted members  of  the  class,  and  upon  those  con- 
nected with  the  church.  Do  not  discount  the  child  of  it. 
You  remember  Jesus's  words:  "Suffer  the  little  children 
to  come  unto  Me."  Let  us  not  limit  God  in  the  work 
proposed.  Remember  that  things  impossible  for  man 
are  entirely  possible  for  God.  I  know  the  time  is  short. 
It  is  not  too  short,  however,  if  we  will  only  redeem  the 
time  and  ask  God  so  to  teach  us  to  number  the  remain- 
ing days  of  the  century  as  to  apply  our  hearts  unto  the 
wisdom  that  cometh  down  from  above,  the  wisdom  of 
God  which,  allied  with  the  power  of  God,  is  abundantly 
equal  to  the  glorious  accomplishment  of  what  I  am  ask- 
ing you  to  take  in  hand. 

I  shall  be  only  too  glad  to  confer  with  you  and  other- 
wise to  co-operate  with  you  in  this  most  important 
matter. 

In  the  hope  that  at  the  next  communion  you  and  I, 
and  all  of  us,  may  witness  an  accession  to  the  church  of 


at  least  a  hundred  persons,  one  for  every  year  of  the 
century,  I  am, 

Cordially  yours, 

Henry  H.  Stebbins. 

A  letter  of  similar  import  was  sent  to  each  member 
of  the  Christian  Endeavor  Society. 

As  an  aid  to  the  workers,  many  of  whom  were  in- 
quiring for  names  of  persons  who  might  be  helped  to 
a  decision  for  Christ  and  the  Church,  lists  of  names  with 
addresses  were  prepared  and  classified.  One  list  con- 
tained names  of  men  who  had  been  in  attendance  upon 
large  classes  in  the  Bible  school ;  another  list  contained 
names  of  women  in  adult  classes  in  Bible 
school ;  another,  names  of  persons  who  were  reported  to 
be  members  of  churches  outside  of  Rochester:  another, 
names  of  persons  who  at  some  time  signed  cards  ex- 
pressing thereby  a  desire  to  lead  a  Christian  life;  an- 
other, names  of  persons  who  seem  interested  in  spiritual 
things ;  and  still  another,  names  of  those  who  had  at- 
tended young  men's  receptions.  These  names,  with  an 
earnest  bracing  word  from  the  pastor,  were  distributed 
with  discrimination  among  the  Committee  of  One  Hun- 
dred. At  the  same  time  a  letter  was  addressed  to  each 
person  on  the  various  lists.  A  copy  of  the  letter  is  here- 
with given. 

November  2d,  1900. 
Dear  Friend  : 

I  want  you  to  stop  after  the  service  next  Sunday 
evening  and  take  a  cup  of  coffee  with  me  in  the  church 
parlor.  That,  however,  let  me  frankly  say,  is  not  the 
only,  nor  the  chief  thing,  I  want.     I  want  to  meet  you 

S9 


socially,  in  order  to  become  better  acquainted  with  you, 
and  I  want  to  become  better  acquainted  with  you,  in 
order  that  I,  in  connection  with  the  young  men  in  the 
church,  especially  the  St.  Paul's  Brotherhood,  may  do 
everything  in  our  powsr  to  encourage  you  along  lines 
with  which  you  are  presumably  in  sympathy.  The  fact 
that  you  come  to  church,  or  to  Bible  class,  or  to  a  Sun- 
day night  reception,  is  an  indication  of  a  degree  of  in- 
terest. You  may  be  a  member  of  a  church  outside  of 
Rochester.  If  so,  we  would  like  to  have  you  join  the 
Central  by  letter.  Or,  if  you  are  not  a  church  member, 
you  may  be  a  Christian.  If  so,  we  would  be  glad  to 
have  you  join  our  church  on  a  confession  of  your  faith 
in  Christ.  We  shall  have  one  more  communion  this 
year.  It  will  be  the  last  of  the  century.  We  are  making 
a  special  effort  to  induce  as  many  as  possible  to  get  into 
line  at  that  time,  We  would  like  to  have  you  among 
the  number,  so  drop  in  next  Sunday  night. 
In  the  hope  of  seeing  you,  I  am, 
Very  truly  yours, 

Henry  H.  Stebbins,  Minister. 

Early  in  November  the  Committee  of  One  Hundred 

had  been  secured,  with  thirty-nine  additional  persons. 

The  pastor  sent  the  following  letter  to  each  member  of 

the  Committee  : 

November  22d,  1900. 
Dear  Friend  : 

I  congratulate  you  upon  your  consent  to  be  a  member 
of  the '*  Committee  of  One   Hundred.''     I  cordially  ap- 
preciate your  co-operation.     I  hope  you  have   already 
secured  at  least  one  person  who,  through  your  instru- 
ct) 


mentality,  will,  on  the  last  Sunday  morning  of  Decem- 
ber, be  welcomed  into  the  membership  of  the  Central 
Church. 

Be  not  weary  in  your  well-doing.  Live  very  near  to 
God.  Rely  upon  the  Holy  Spirit  to  guide  you,  to  teach 
you  what  you  ought  to  say,  or  write,  or  do,  and  to  incline 
to  Christ  those  whom  you  are  trying  to  win  to  Him. 
Avail  yourself  of  the  conference  room  (Mr.  McElhinney'3 
study),  where,  before  and  after  every  service,  some  one 
will  be  in  attendance  to  furnish  you  with  the  names  of 
those  possibly  available  for  church  membership,  and  to 
facilitate  your  work.  You  can  also  meet  there  one  and 
another  for  whom  you  are  making  special  effort. 

The  session  will  begin  its  series  of  meetings  to  receive 
applications  for  church  membership,  on  Sunday  eve- 
ning, December  2d,  in  the  church  parlor,  after  the  regu- 
lar service.  And  such  a  meeting  will  be  held  on  every 
Sunday  evening  till,  and  including  December  23d,  as 
well  as  after  the  services  on  Tuesday  and  Wednesday 
evenings,  commencing  with  December  4th,  and  continu- 
ing, with  the  exception  of  Christmas  evening,  till,  and 
including  Friday,  December  28th,  the  evening  of  the 
•ervice  preparatory  to  the  communion. 

I  suggest  that  you  arrange  to  accompany  to  one  or 
another  of  the  meetings  of  the  session,  only  the  earlier 
the  better,  the  person  or  persons  whom  you  are  so  fortu- 
nate as  to  influence.  I  shall  be  glad  to  have  you  intro- 
duce them  to  the  elders. 

God  bless  you  in  your  endeavor,  and  may  you,  at 
the  communion  on  the  last  Sunday  morning  of  the  cen- 
tury,  have  the  exquisite  delight  of  seeing  the  one  or 

9i 


more  whom  you  have  led  to  Christ,  welcomed  into  the 

Church. 

Sincerely  and  hopefully  yours, 

Henry  H.  Stebbins. 

To  the  members  of  four  of  the  large  Bible  classes  the 
pastor  sent  a  letter  urging  those  who  were  members  of 
churches  outside  of  Rochester  to  procure  their  church 
letters  and  place  them  with  Central  Church,  urging 
those  who  were  Christians,  but  not  church  members,  to 
unite  with  the  church,  and  appealing  to  all  who  were  not 
Christians  to  decide  for  Christ  and  take  a  stand  for  Him 
only,  in  His  church. 

Feeling  that  the  Bible  school  was  a  field  "  white  unto 
the  harvest,"  the  superintendent  addressed  a  letter  to 
the  teachers,  directing  their  attention  to  the  day  of 
special  effort  appointed  by  themselves. 

The  letter  is  as  follows  : 

November  27,  1900. 
Teachers  of  Central  Church  Bible  School  : 

You  are  invited  to  attend  a  half-hour  devotional 
service  after  the  prayer  meeting  on  Wednesday  evening, 
November  28,  to  be  held  in  the  room  of  Class  24.  In 
accordance  with  their  action  the  teachers  throughout  the 
school  are  requested  to  make  special  effort  next  Sunday, 
December  2,  to  secure  from  the  available  non-church 
members  of  their  classes  an  expression  of  faith  in  Jesus 
Christ,  and  to  make  an  appeal  to  them  to  unite  with  the 
church  on  the  last  Sunday  of  the  century,  December  30, 
1900. 

92 


Trusting  that  you  will  be  guided   of  the   Spirit  to 
draw  many  to  the  Master,  I  remain, 
Sincerely  yours, 

J.  M.  McElhinney. 

It  is  said  that  the  unexpected  always  happens,  which 
surely  was  verified  in  the  publication  of  the  following 
circular  : 

To  the  Men  of  Central  Church : 

The  pastor  and  elders  of  Central  Church  are  doing 
their  utmost  to  revive  the  spiritual  life  of  the  members 
of  the  church  and  congregation.  Cannot  we  assist  in 
the  effort  ?  Will  you  not  join  us  in  enlarging  the  at- 
tendance and  increasing  the  interest  in  the  regular 
services  by  attending  the  Wednesday  evening  meeting  ? 
We  can  do  that  much  without  great  sacrifice  of  time 
or  comfort,  and  it  seems  certain  that  we  will  feel  paid 
for  the  effort  involved,  without  reference  to  its  possible 
influence  on  others. 

Let  us  surprise  Dr.  Stebbins  and  the  faithful  few 
who  have  held  the  mid-week  meeting  together  by  their 
almost  uninterrupted  attendance,  by  being  present  in  a 
body  on  Wednesday  evening,  the  5th  inst.,  and  on 
every  Wednesday  night  thereafter,  if  possible.  Shall 
we  see  you  next  Wednesday  night  ? 

H.  A.  Brewster,  H.  H.  Pryor, 

P.  V.  Crittenden,  M.  D.  Knowlton, 

J.  A.  Seel,  C.  S.  Hastings, 

I.  H.  Dewey,  R.  A.  Hamilton, 

L.  L.  Williams, 

Trustees  of  Central  Church. 

93 


Our  choir,  numbering  about  fifty,  was  not  over- 
looked, as  the  following  letter  sent  by  the  choirmaster 
will  show  : 

Rochester,  Dec.  18,  1900. 
My  Dear  Friend  : 

First  and  last  I  have  written  to  you  about  various 
matters  connected  with  our  choir  work.  I  am  moved 
now,  however,  to  drop  you  a  line  about  membership  in 
the  Central  Church.  I  belong  to  the  St.  Paul's  Brother- 
hood, that  is  trying  to  secure  at  least  a  hundred  new 
members,  one  for  every  year  of  the  century,  before  our 
next  communion,  which  will  be  on  Sunday  morning, 
Dec.  30.  Naturally  I  turn  to  my  choir  as  my  particular 
field.  I  am  glad  to  know  that  so  many  of  us  are  already 
in  the  church.  You,  I  believe,  however,  are  not  con- 
nected with  this  church,  although  you  may  have  belonged 
to  a  church  somewhere  else.  If  so,  I  know  this  church 
will  be  glad  to  have  you  bring  your  letter,  unless  you 
are  connected  with  a  church  in  Rochester,  in  which  case 
we  would  not  disturb  your  relation.  Or,  if  you  are  not 
a  church  member,  you  are  very  likely  a  Christian,  and 
if  so,  it  is  your  privilege  to  belong  to  the  Christian 
Church.  In  whatever  way  either  Mrs.  Walton  or  I 
can  serve  you,  whether  by  going  with  you  to  see  Dr. 
Stebbins  or  by  going  with  you  to  meet  the  elders,  please 
be  assured  of  our  readiness  to  do  so. 

In  the  hope  that  our  choir  will  be  generously  repre- 
sented among  the  new  members,  believe  me, 

Sincerely  your  friend, 

Geo.  W.  Walton. 

94 


One  more  letter  was  written  to  the  entire  member- 
ship of  the  Church,  numbering  over  two  thousand,  with 
a  mailing  list  of  over  twelve  hundred  separate  addresses. 
It  is  as  follows  : 

My  Dear  People  : 

My  heart  turns  to  you  in  eager  desire  that  you  and 
I  together  should  make  all  we  can  of  the  few  remaining 
days  of  this  year  of  the  Lord,  this  century  of  grace.  I 
want  the  approaching  Christmas,  the  last  Christmas  of 
the  century,  to  be  the  best.  I  want  the  New  Year,  the 
first  year  of  the  new  century,  to  be  the  happiest  we 
have  had.  I  want  us  to  go  as  thoroughly  furnished  as 
possible  into  the  twentieth  century.  I  want  our  church, 
as  she  passes  from  the  century  in  which  she  was  born 
into  the  century  during  which  we  trust  she  is  to  grow 
up  into  Christ  in  all  things,  to  have  on  her  most  beauti- 
ful garments.  It  is  our  privilege  to  help  to  array  her. 
Let  us  do  so  by  investing  our  lives  with  the  beauty  of 
holiness,  by  our  faithful  attendance  upon  the  ten  re- 
maining services  of  the  year,  especially  the  service 
preparatory  to  the  communion,  Friday  evening,  De- 
cember 28th,  and  the  communion  itself,  Sunday  morn- 
ing, December  30th;  by  a  generous  Christmas  offering, 
and  by  doing  all  we  can  to  induce  our  children,  our 
scholars,  our  friends,  to  be  of  the  number  who  are  to 
be  welcomed  into  our  church  membership  at  the  com- 
munion. 

Your  pastor,   in  the  bonds  of  Christ   and   the   Central 

Church, 

Henry  H.  St<sbbi!is. 
My  Study,  December  17,  1900. 

95 


This  letter  closes  the  correspondence  by  our  pastor, 
which  reminds  me  to  say  that  the  entire  correspondence, 
including  numerous  postal  cards  sent  out  under  the 
auspices  of  the  Brotherhood,  aggregates  close  to  three 
thousand,  and  constitutes  one  of  the  distinctive  features 
of  this  special  effort. 

Another  feature  of  the  work  was  the  reliance  that 
was  urged  upon  the  Spirit  of  God.  Early  in  the  fall 
Dr.  Stebbins  preached  a  sermon  on  the  Spirit  as  a 
source  of  power,  whether  in  the  development  or  per- 
sonal character  or  the  prosecution  of  church  work. 

Tuesday  and  Wednesday  of  each  week  were  ob- 
served as  days  of  special  prayer.  These  days  were 
selected  because  on  them  we  hold  our  regular  weekly 
meetings  for  prayer;  Tuesday  being  the  evening  for 
the  Society  of  Christian  Endeavor,  and  Wednesday  the 
usual  evening  for  the  general  prayer  meeting. 

The  whole  or  a  part  of  a  Bible  school  session  was 
devoted  by  the  different  departments  to  earnest  per- 
sonal appeals  to  decide  for  Christ. 

Sunday  evening,  December  2,  was  the  first  meeting 
of  the  session  to  receive  members.  The  ten  or  twelve 
who  came  on  that  evening  brought  with  them  the  joy 
of  the  first  fruits  and  the  earnest  of  the  harvest.  The 
members  grew  at  each  successive  meeting. 

On  December  28,  which  was  the  service  preparatory 
to  the  communion,  there  was  a  gathering  of  all  the 
applicants  for  membership.  It  was  an  inspiring  sight. 
The  room  across  the  hall  from  the  session  room  was 
in  readiness  for  the  overflow,  and  it  was  filled  full. 
The  Board  of  Elders  was  divided  into  two  working 
forces,  for  receiving  additional  applications  for  mem- 
96 


bership,  for  obtaining  names  and  addresses,  for  the 
securing  of  pledges  for  current  expenses  and  for  benefi- 
cence.    It  was  a  busy  scene. 

The  century  plant  gave  intimation  that  it  was  going 
to  bloom,  and  a  large  number  gathered  Sunday  morn- 
ing to  witness  it.  Name  after  name,  name  after  name, 
was  read  until  the  hundred  mark  was  reached,  and  still 
the  great  flower  pushed  up  beyond  highest  expecta- 
tion, reaching  at  last  119,  one  for  each  year  of  the 
century  and  one  for  each  century  since  the  birth  of : 
Christ,  in  whose  glory  the  work  was  begun  and  ended. 

In  grateful  recognition  of  God's  blessing  upon  the 
efforts  of  Dr.  Stebbins  and  his  people  in  securing  this 
large  ingathering  of  believers,  I  have  given  this  nar- 
rative. 

Assistant  Minister. 

J.  M.  McElhinney, 
CHAPTER  XXVI. 

?Br.  Stebbins'  tBork. 

Rev.  J.  Wilbur  Chapman,  D.D. 

One  of  the  elders  of  my  church  came  to  a  session 
meeting  last  winter  and  described  to  us  what  he  had 
heard  of  the  work  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Stebbins,  of  Rochester. 
Our  hearts  were  made  to  glow  with  the  thought  that  so 
many  people  had  been  led  to  accept  Christ  in  the  Central 
Church.  We  at  once  determined  that  we  would  follow 
out  as  nearly  as  possible  the  same  plan.  We  conferred 
together  as  church  officers  and  determined  that  we 
would  each  make  it  a  special  subject  of  prayer.     On  the 

97 


Sunday  rooming  following  our  conference  I  preached 
from  the  text,  "  First  he  findeth  his  own  brother."  I 
tried  ray  very  best  to  lay  upon  the  people  the  burden  of 
responsibility  of  souls,  and  when  the  sermon  was 
ended  I  announced  that  the  session  would  pass  through 
the  audience  with  the  pledge  cards  which  the  members 
were  asked  to  take  if  they  would  be  willing  to  join  with 
the  pastor  in  seeking  to  lead  at  least  one  soul  to  Christ 
during  a  given  time.  Quite  a  number  of  cards  were 
taken  and  enough  were  returned  to  make  it  possible  for 
us  to  form  the  Committee  of  One  Hundred.  The  card 
was  as  follows : 

THE  COMMITTEE  OF  ONE  HUNDRED 

Fourth  Presbyterian  Church,  New  York  City. 
Rev.  J.  Wilbur  Chapman,  D.D.,  Pastor. 

I  hereby  agree  to  become  a  member  of  the  Commit- 
tee of  One  Hundred  and  will  strive  in  every  possible 
way  during  the  next  six  weeks  to  lead  at  least  one  soul 
to  Christ. 

Signed 

Address. 

On  the  opposite  side  of  the  card  was  printed  some- 
thing like  the  following: 

In  becoming  a  member  of  the  Committee  of  One 
Hundred  it  is  my  purpose  to  follow  out  the  suggestions 
given  us  by  our  pastor  from  the  text:  "  First  he  findeth 
his  own  brother."  I  agree  in  signing  the  card  that  I 
will  meet  with  the  Committee  of  One  Hundred  whenever 
called  together,  so  far  as  this  may  be  possible,  and  that 
98 


all  my  prayer  and  efforts  shall  be  centered  upon  one, 
until  that  one  comes  to  Christ. 

Immediately  we  began  to  hold  conferences  with 
those  whose  names  appeared  on  the  cards.  We  talked 
together  over  the  difficulties  that  the  workers  met  in  the 
effort  they  were  putting  forth ;  we  prayed  for  those  for 
whom  prayers  were  requested  in  our  conferences.  As 
the  meetings  went  on  from  time  to  time  the  workers  be- 
gan to  report  concerning  their  success,  and  instead  of 
leading  one  some  were  used  of  God  to  lead  two  and 
three  to  the  knowledge  of  Christ,  Altogether  the  work 
was  most  successful.  We  had  the  joy  of  receiving 
eighty-two  people  into  our  church  at  the  communion 
following  the  taking  of  these  pledges,  and  at  a  subse- 
quent communion  enough  more  to  more  than  prove  that 
the  members  of  the  Committee  had  kept  their  pledge 
made  to  their  pastor  and  to  God.  I  can  commend  the 
plan  to  churches  everywhere,  and  in  some  communities 
where  it  is  not  possible  to  hold  a  series  of  meetings  it  is 
possible  to  carry  forward  such  a  work  as  this.  That 
God  may  make  it  sucessful  is  my  prayer. 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

<3L  Cftoob  <2Dlb  fllan. 

By  thU  Rev.  R.  M,  Patterson,  D.D.,  L.L.  D.* 

Years  ago,  when  the  Old  School  Presbyteries  of  New 
Castle  and  Donegal  extended  into  Chester  County,  Pa., 
the  churches  were  in  the  habit  in  the  fall  of  the  year  of 
holding  four  days'  evangelistic  services.  Each  pastor 
had  the  charge  in  his  own  church,  and  was  assisted  by 
•An  article  in  the  Presbyterian  of  September  18th,  i§oi. 
99 


such  brother  pastors  as  he  invited  to  preach.  The  services 
extended  through  Tuesday,  Wednesday,  Thursday  and 
Friday,  morning,  afternoon  and  evening.  The  whole 
neighborhood  turned  out  to  attend.  Those  who  lived 
at  a  distance  from  the  church  took  their  dinner  and 
supper  with  them,  and  so  remained  all  day  on  the  ground. 

Those  four  days'  services  were  grand  factors  in  the 
life  of  our  Church — the  most  successful  kind  of  revival 
and  awakening  seasons.  They  deepened  the  spiritual 
and  social  life  of  the  congregations  and  added  many  to 
the  communion  rolls. 

Let  me  give  an  account  of  one  in  which  I  participa- 
ted early  in  my  ministry,  which  had  a  great  effect  on 
me  personally,  and  which  is  still  vivid  in  my  memory. 

The  Rev.  J.  C.  Thorn,  one  of  the  most  lovely  of  men, 
and  I,  were  in  the  Theological  Seminary  together,  and 
were  ordained  and  installed  about  the  same  time ;  he  in 
the  Waynesburg  or  Honeybrook,  and  I  in  the  Great  Val- 
ley Church,  about  twenty-four  miles  apart.  In  the  first 
fall  after  his  settlement,  Mr.  Thorn  arranged  for  one  of 
the  four  days'  meetings.  Several  other  pastors  were  to 
preach,  and  among  them  I  was  to  give  four  sermons— 
on  Thursday  morning,  afternoon  and  evening  and 
Friday  morning. 

The  services  began,  but  on  Tuesday  and  Wednesday 
seemed  to  be  a  failure.  The  brethren  on  whom  Mr. 
Thorn  depended  were  unable  to  be  present.  The  only 
one  whom  he  had  with  him  was  Dr.  B.  B.  Hotchkin,  of 
fragrant  memory,  a  neighboring  New  School  pastor. 
After  the  Wednesday  afternoon  meeting,  Mr.  Thorn 
sent  one  of  his  elders,  driving  across  twenty-four  miles, 
to  tell  me  of  the  failures  and  of  his  consequent  down- 
ioo 


heartedness,  and  to  urge  me  to  be  sure  to  keep  my  ap- 
pointment. I  remember  the  surprise  with  which  I  saw 
the  elder  after  his  long  ride,  come  into  my  prayer- 
meeting  with  his  message. 

I  drove  over  the  next  morning  and  preached  the 
four  times  that  had  been  arranged.  I  adopted  a  system 
in  the  sermons  that  I  gave,  so  that  each  prepared  the 
way  for  the  next,  and  all  ended  in  a  climax.  I  have 
them  yet  in  soiled  and  yellow  MSS.,  though  I  did  not 
use  the  MSS.,  in  the  pulpit.  The  first  was  on  "  Dead  in 
Trespasses  and  Sins,"  showing  the  natural  condition  of 
all.  The  second  was,  "The  Promise  is  to  You,''  etc., 
showing  the  Gospel  remedy  and  its  offer.  The  third 
was  on  "  Quench  Not  the  Spirit,"  showing  the  divine 
efficiency  and  the  danger  of  resisting  Him.  The  last 
was  on  "  The  Harvest  is  Past,  the  Summer  is  Ended, 
and  We  Are  Not  Saved,"  picturing  the  irreparable  loss 
and  ruin  of  those  who  resisted  the  Spirit  and  sinned 
away  the  day  of  grace.  The  church  was  crowded,  the 
whole  community  seemed  to  be  present. 

No  spiritual  interest  had  manifested  itself  up  to 
Thursday  afternoon.  But  at  the  close  of  that  evening 
service  there  were  two  or  three  inquirers.  At  the  close 
of  the  Friday  morning  service  there  were  about  a  dozen. 
At  the  close  of  that  afternoon  service,  the  horse  and  car- 
riage were  waiting  at  the  door  to  start  with  me,  so  as  to 
get  home  early  in  the  evening.  Before  leaving  I 
stopped  to  look  into  the  large  lecture  room  in  which  Mr. 
Thorn  had  invited  inquirers  to  meet  with  him.  It  was 
full,  and  as  a  result,  at  the  communion  a  few  weeks 
after,  there  were,  as  I  recall,  a  great  number  of  additions 
to  the  church. 


That  was  my  first  evangelistic  experience.  The 
effect  on  me  was  great.     I  have  never  forgotten  it. 

As  a  part  of  the  general  evangelistic  campaign 
which  has  been  happily  inaugurated  by  our  General 
Assembly,  could  we,  through  our  country  churches,  re- 
vive those  four  days'  meetings  ?  Acceptable  traveling 
evangelists  cannot  reach  all.  Pastors  should  each,  with 
others,  be  evangelists  and  mutual  helps.  Preaching 
not  long  ago  at  a  service  preparatory  to  the  communion, 
the  pastor  said  to  me  at  the  close  that  he  had  no  idea  I 
was  "  such  an  evangelistic  preacher."  I  was  rather 
taken  aback,  for  I  cannot  understand  how  full  Gospel 
preaching  can  be  other  than  evangelistic.  The  great 
mass  of  my  sermons  certainly  may  be  so  dominated,  and 
so  it  seems  to  me  it  should  be  with  all  pastors,  and  they 
should  be  mutual  evangelistic  helps. 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 

&tno  Banbs. 

By   the  Riv.  R.  A.   Elwood, 

Olivet  Presbyterian  Church,  Wilmington,  Del. 

I  have  organized  in  Olivet  Church  two  bands  on  the 
plan  that  Christ  organized  His  disciples.  A  Seventy  Band 
and  a  Twelve  Band,  composed  of  volunteers  who  are 
willing  to  labor  with  Jesus  for  His  sake. 

Christ  sent  His  seventy  disciples  forth,  two  by  two,  to 
visit  and  tell  of  Him.  Our  volunteers  of  the  Seventy  Band 
visit  two  by  two,  and  tell  of  the  church  and  its  services 
and  invite  persons  to  come.  On  Sunday  evening,  our 
church  ushers,  who  are  all  active  Christian  men,  hand  a 
102 


card  to  each  stranger  coming  into  the  service,  and  during 
the  song  service  I  request  from  the  pulpit,  that  persons 
receiving  cards,  sign  them,  each  giving  his  name,  ad- 
dress, and  whether  or  not  a  member  of  any  church,  and 
place  the  card  on  the  collection  plate. 

Immediately  at  the  close  of  service  these  cards  are 
handed  to  me,  and  I  in  turn  hand  them  to  members  of 
the  Seventy  Band,  who  some  time  during  the  week 
visit  these  friends  and  report  to  me  on  the  following 
Sunday.  Then,  if  the  way  be  clear,  I  visit  them  during 
the  week.  This  plan  is  working  successfully  in  our 
church. 

The  Twelve  Band  is  composed  of  volunteers  who  de- 
sire to  do  personal  work.  This  Band  is  under  instruction 
of  the  pastor,  who  teaches  them  how  to  use  the  Bible  in 
dealing  with  inquirers.  The  members  of  the  Twelve 
Band  work  in  the  after-meetings  on  Sunday  night  or 
personally  visit  those  to  whom  they  may  be  sent. 

At  the  close  of  our  Sunday  night  service,  which  is  al- 
ways evangelistic,  with  plenty  of  congregational  singing, 
a  short,  earnest  gospel  sermon,  and  sometimes  an  appeal 
for  manifestations,  either  by  standing  or  raising  the 
hand,  we  go  downstairs  to  the  after-service.  A  hymn 
is  sung  while  the  people  gather,  a  prayer  offered,  and  I 
say  a  few  words;  then  the  Twelve  Band  goes  to  work, 
Bibles  in  hand,  with  those  who  show  any  interest.  The 
results  are  splendid,  not  only  in  accessions  to  the  church, 
but  in  the  spiritual  growth  of  the  members  of  the  Band. 


103 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

fttje  dLonvexBion  of  <STl)Ubren. 

By  the  Rev.  Theodore  L.  Cuyi^er,  D.D.* 

The  most  important  ten  years  of  human  life  are 
from  six  to  sixteen  years  of  age.  An  enormous  propor- 
tion, perhaps  a  majority  of  people,  who  pass  twenty-one 
irreligious  are  never  converted  at  all.  Mr.  Spurgeon 
says  that  the  most  healthy  Christians  in  his  church  are 
commonly  those  who  began  to  serve  Christ  when  they 
were  young.  Such  has  been  my  experience  and  that  of 
many  other  pastors.  Yet  some  very  worthy  Christians 
are  strangely  skeptical  in  regard  to  the  conversion  of 
children — especially  their  own  children. 

In  my  humble  opinion,  if  a  child  can  love  its  parent, 
and  trust  its  parent,  and  obey  its  parent,  it  can  love  and 
trust  and  obey  God.  These  three  mental  acts  are  the 
very  essence  of  Bible  piety.  An  ordinary  child  of  ten 
years  can  appreciate  the  story  of  Christ's  life,  His  deeds 
of  mercy,  the  sweetness  of  His  promises,  and  the  mean- 
ing of  His  death  for  sinners,  about  as  well  as  a  man  of 
three-score.  A  child  can  love  the  Lord  Jesus  with  all 
the  ingenuous  ardor  of  its  young  heart;  and  in  every 
thought  and  act  towards  Christ  that  child  may  have  the 
supernatural  aid  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Just  as  soon  as 
your  son  and  daughter  are  old  enough  to  understand 
right  from  wrong,  they  are  old  enough  to  do  right  or 
wrong.  Doing  right  is  a  religious  act ;  doing  wrong  is 
sin.  Sorrow  for  wrong-doing  is  contrition.  Ceasing  to 
do  wrong,  from   right  motive,  is  repentance.     Asking 

♦From  "Christianity  in  the  Home,"  by  Dr.  Cuyler. 
104 


Christ  to  forgive  wrong  is  an  act  of  faith.  Keeping 
Christ's  commandments  is  the  very  core  of  Christianity. 
Surely  there  are  innumerable  instances  in  which  chil- 
dren have  exhibited  all  these  "  fruits  of  the  Holy  Spirit." 
Some  of  the  most  beautiful  examples  of  deep  and  fer- 
vent piety  that  I  have  ever  witnessed  have  been  dis- 
played by  hearts  that  were  under  twelve  years  of  age. 

It  may  be  said  that  "children's  minds  are  volatile 
and  changeable."  So  they  may  often  be,  and  therefore 
require  all  the  more  of  wise  and  careful  haadling.  But 
are  grown  people  never  changeable  ?  Do  men  and 
women  of  forty  years  old  never  become  backsliders  ?  I 
had  rather  risk  the  volatility  of  childhood  than  the  temp- 
tations to  self-seeking  sharpness  and  worldliness  that 
beset  middle  life.  If  childhood  is  credulous,  manhood 
and  old  age  are  too  apt  to  be  skeptical.  Better  a  heart 
that  believes  too  much  and  too  easily  than  one  that  is 
too  slow  to  believe  and  to  move  at  all.  Oh,  be  assured, 
all  ye  pastors  and  parents  and  teachers,  that  there  is  no 
such  soil  in  the  world  for  religious  truth  and  converting 
grace  as  the  heart  of  a  frank  and  susceptible  and  teach- 
able child.  From  such  soil  often  grows  the  loftiest  and 
sturdiest  piety  of  after  years.  "  Those  who  are  planted 
in  the  house  of  the  Lord  nourish  in  the  courts  of  our 
God." 

At  what  age  should  a  child  be  admitted  to  the 
church?  To  this  question  the  answer  is  that  everyone 
should  be  admired  to  Christ's  Church  as  soon  as  they 
give  good  evidence  of  Christian  character  and  conduct. 
The  Church  is  for  all  who  love  the  Lord  Jesus  and  who 
seek  to  serve  Him.  The  Bible  never  makes  age  a  con- 
dition of  salvation.  Shall  a  truly  regenerated  child  be 
105 


kept  away  from  Christ's  table  until  it  has  got  over  being 
a  child?  And  what  is  the  use  of  having  a  fold  if  the 
lambs  are  all  to  be  kept  out  until  they  can  stand  rough 
weather? 

Great  care  should  be  exercised  in  the  admission  of 
children  into  the  Church.  Haste  and  injudicious  handling 
may  work  a  mischief  that  cannot  be  easily  repaired.  Not 
only  should  there  be  good  evidence  that  the  ■ '  root  of  the 
matter  "  is  in  the  young  heart,  but  the  solemn  and  far- 
reaching  step  should  be  fully  explained  and  thoroughly 
understood.  In  no  direction  is  there  more  danger  of  sad 
blundering  than  in  dealing  with  the  souls  of  children. 

In  the  recently  published  biography  of  that  eminent 
servant  of  God,  Professor  Austin  Phelps,  is  a  most  sug- 
gestive account  of  his  own  experience  when  he  was 
twelve  years  old.  He  says,  "There  was  a  revival 
of  religion  (in  his  father's  church)  which  affected 
me  powerfully  for  the  time.  I  went  through  the  usual 
excitement  of  such  scenes,  attended  children's  prayer- 
meetings,  took  prominent  part  in  them,  prayed  much  in 
secret,  and  thought  of  little  else  than  the  salvation  of  my 
soul.  If  any  one  at  that  crisis  had  kindly  diverted  my 
thoughts  from  the  idea  of  regeneration  to  that  of  simple 
right  living  in  the  ways  natural  to  a  child,  I  think  I 
might  then  have  become  a  child  of  God.  What  I  needed 
was  to  be  made  to  believe  in  truth-telling,  honesty, 
honor,  unselfishness,  care  for  the  happiness  of  others  as 
well  as  love  to  God  and  trust  in  Christ  as  Christian 
things.  I  had  no  conception  of  them  as  such.  I  longed 
for,  and  prayed  for,  and — worst  of  all— waited  for  some 
sublime  and  revolutionary  change  of  heart ;  and  what 
that  was  as  a  fact  in  a  child's  experience  I  had  not  the  re- 
106 


motest  idea.  My  belief  is  that  hundreds  of  older  people 
turned  to  God  in  that  revival.  But  I  have  yet  to  learn 
of  one  of  my  own  age  who  was  at  all  benefited  by  it.  To 
me  it  was  an  unmitigated  evil,  hardening  my  religious 
sensibilities,  and  the  prelude  to  a  period  of  worldliness 
in  which  I  lived  without  prayer." 

Professor  Phelps  was  not  only  a  brilliant  scholar, 
but  a  devout  and  orthodox  theologian,  and  his  testimony 
here  is  of  great  value  on  two  important  points.  He 
emphasizes  the  importance  of  ethical  instruction  with 
children.  To  ask  a  child  only  these  questions,  "Do  you 
love  Christ?"  and  "Do  you  want  to  be  a  Christian?"  and 
then  fail  to  tell  them  that  the  only  proof  of  that  "love" 
is  that  they  aim  to  keep  Christ's  commandments,  is  a 
fearful  mistake.  It  is  an  appeal  to  the  emotions,  and 
not  to  the  conscience,  and  it  is  likely  to  end  in  a  thin, 
vaporous  religion,  or  in  a  reaction  towards  hardness  of 
heart.  Conduct  is  the  main  idea  to  be  kept  before  the 
child's  mind,  and  when  the  Holy  Spirit  is  doing  a 
genuine  work  in  that  child  the  result  is  seen  in  making 
that  child  a  better  boy  and  a  better  girl  in  the  home,  in 
the  school,  in  its  plays,  and  everywhere  else.  "By  their 
fruits  ye  shall  know  them." 

The  other  important  point  is  that  in  a  revival  no  one 
needs  more  wise  and  careful  and  prayerful  handling 
than  the  young  and  susceptible.  They  are  so  liable  to 
be  carried  away  by  currents  of  sympathy  or  else  misled 
by  well-meaning  but  injudicious  bunglers.  The  whole- 
sale process  of  dealing  with  them  in  the  mass— whether 
by  an  evangelist,  or  a  pastor,  or  a  Sunday-school  super- 
intendent— is  fraught  with  prodigious  dangers.  Each 
child  should  be  dealt  with  individually,  and  according 
107 


to  its  peculiar  temperament  and  surroundings.  A 
parent  is  God's  appointed  trustee  of  a  child's  soul,  and  a 
Christian  home  is  God's  ordained  training-school.  When 
the  child  has  no  such  home  influence,  then  the  pastor 
and  the  Sunday-school  teacher  should  fervently  pray  for 
common  sense  and  Divine  direction,  as  well  as  for  lov- 
ing patience,  while  they  are  attempting  to  guide  childish 
hearts  to  Jesus  and  to  a  true  Christian  life. 

CHAPTER   XXIX. 

&ge  of  ContJersiou. 

The  two  diagrams  which  are  here  presented  are  fur- 
nished by  a  New  York  business  man,  Mr.  Charles  T. 
Kilborne,  who  writes  concerning  them: 

"I  may  say  briefly  that  the  one, showing  "Age  of  Con- 
version," was  the  result  of  a  very  careful  investigation 
made  among  a  large  group  of  grown  young  men,  the 
number  being  sufficiently  large  to  get  a  fair  average, 
and  they  being  of  sufficient  maturity  to  understand  the 
importance  of  caretul  and  accurate  responses.  These 
results  as  disclosed  by  the  responses  and  manifested  in 
the  diagram  are  closely  identical  with  other  tests  made 
by  careful  and  trustworthy  men  at  other  times.  The 
other  chart  "  Age  of  Religious  Interest,"  was  made  up 
from  returns  received  from  a  similar  group  under  similar 
surroundings,  and  its  great  value  is  found  in  this,  viz: 
It  shows  that  if  the  same  pressure  had  been  brought  to 
bear  upon  these  young  men  at  the  earlier  age,  they 
would  have  responded  just  as  readily  as  they  did  at  a 
later  period.  They  practically  stated  that  they  had  as 
deep  religious  interest  at  the  earlier  ages  as  later,  and  the 
1 08 


failure  on  the  part  of  older  Christians  to  recognize  this 
fact  led  to  the  deferring  of  their  acceptance  of  Christ  and 
confession  of  Him.  If  people  recognized  the  truth  set  forth 
in  the  diagram  showing  religious  interest,  it  would  not 
be  long  before  the  figures  in  the  second  diagram  would 
be  decidedly  changed,  and  of  course  the  application  of 
this  is  so  plain  as  not  to  require  comment." 


16 


18 


14 


12 


8    io 

I  9 


II 


13 


15 


17 


1920 


21 


22 


23 


1 


Age  of  Conversion 


iog 


12 


14 


10 


43 


15 


16 


17 


18 


8 


19 


II 


2Al 


u 


I 


22 

1 23 
1  '   * 


Age  of  Religious  Interest. 


its 


CHAPTER  XXX. 
Decision  Dan  in  tljt  Snnban  Bctjool. 

By  the  Rev.  J.  Wilbur  Chapman,   D.D. 
Fourth  Presbyterian  Church,  New  York. 

If  a  farmer  were  to  occupy  all  his  time  in  sowing  the 
seed  and  make  no  provision  for  the  gathering  of  a  har- 
vest which  he  would  have  a  right  to  expect,  we  should 
think  him  bereft  of  all  reason.  There  are  certain  laws 
governing  the  sowing  of  seed,  the  watching  for  growth 
and  development  and  the  reaping  of  the  harvest.  It  is 
likewise  true  that  there  are  certain  well  denned  laws 
concerning  the  use  of  God's  Word  in  teaching  and 
preaching.  It  is  the  good  seed  indeed,  and  the  heart  of 
a  child  has  always  been  found  to  be  particularly  good 
ground  upon  which  it  may  fall, 

There  is  a  clear  promise  in  the  Bible  that  God's 
"Word  shall  not  return  unto  Him  void,  but  shall  accom- 
plish that  which  He  pleases  and  prosper  in  the  thing 
whereunto  He  hath  sent  it."  If,  therefore,  there  are  few 
conversions  and  the  harvest  in  the  Sunday-school  is  not 
gathered,  the  responsibility  for  failure  cannot  be  with 
the  Lord  of  the  harvest,  but  must  be  with  those  of  us 
who  are  supposed  to  be  the  laborers  in  His  harvest  field, 
I  can  find  no  reason  in  God's  Word  why  there  should  not 
be  a  constant  ingathering  of  the  children  and  young 
people  into  the  kingdom  of  Heaven,  why  there  may  not 
be  frequent  harvest  seasons  and  oft-reported  decision 
days.  In  order  that  Sunday  school  workers  may  be  led 
to  expect  and  work  for  such  seasons  of  blessing,  this 
message  is  sent  forth. 

in 


It  is  necessary,  first  of  all,  that  there  should  be  cer- 
tain propositions  stated  and  accepted  before  we  maybe 
expected  to  gather  the  results  of  our  work. 

First — It  must  be  accepted  as  true  that  when  a  child 
has  reached  the  age  of  accountability,  where  he  may  in- 
telligently accept  or  reject  Christ  as  a  Saviour,  he  needs 
Christ  in  order  that  he  may  be  saved.  "There  is  none 
other  name  given  under  Heaven  or  among  men  whereby 
we  must  be  saved."  This  text  applies  to  a  child  having 
reached  the  age  of  accountability  as  well  as  to  those 
older  in  years.  If  we  do  not  accept  this  statement  we 
shall  not  be  much  concerned  about  their  souls. 

Second — We  do  not  know  just  when  our  children 
may  reach  the  point  of  responsibility.  It  is  said  that  in 
the  Niagara  River  there  is  one  point  called  "Past  Re- 
demption Point,"  and  that  if  one  reaches  and  passes  this 
place,  he  is  hurried  on  to  the  Rapids  and  the  chances  are 
all  against  his  life  being  saved.  We  do  not  know  at 
what  age  our  children  may  pass  this  point  in  their  lives. 

Third — This  being  true,  it  is  wise  for  us  to  present 
Christ  to  them  as  a  Saviour  very  early  in  their  lives.  It 
is  said  that  the  cannon  ball  passing  through  a  four-foot 
bore  of  the  cannon  receives  its  impulse  for  the  whole 
course  it  is  to  travel.  And  the  statement  has  been  made 
that  the  Catholic  authorities  have  said:  "If  you  will  give 
us  your  children  for  the  first  nine  years  of  their  lives,  you 
can  never  win  them  away  from  us."  It  is,  therefore, 
doubtless  true  that  many  a  child  receives  impressions 
before  he  is  ten  years  of  age  that  determine  the  whole 
course  of  his  after  life.  What  an  awful  responsibility 
not  to  present  Christ  to  him  as  Saviour  and  keeper. 
112 


Fourth — The  history  of  the  Church  proves  that  many 

of  those  who  have  been  the  real   pillars   in  the  house  of 

God  came  to  an  acceptance  of  Christ  before   the  age  of 

twelve    years.      So,    whatever   may  be  our  individual 

opinion  concerning  the  conversion  of  children,  God  has 

t 
set  His  approval  on  the  work  and  has   said:   "Suffer  the 

little  children  to  come  unto  Me,  and  forbid  them  not,  for 

of  such  is  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven." 

In  an  audience  of  5,000  people  in  a  Western  city,  I 
asked  all  who  had  accepted  Christ  between  the  ages  of 
ten  and  twenty  to  rise,  and  it  seemed  as  if  the  entire 
audience  was  standing.  When  those  who  had  come  be- 
tween the  ages  of  twenty  and  thirty  were  asked  to  stand 
the  number  was  greatly  diminished,  not  more  than  four 
hundred  being  on  their  feet.  When  the  ages  were 
changed  to  between  forty  and  fifty,  there  was  not  more 
than  a  hundred  standing,  and  when  it  was  suggested 
that  all  who  had  accepted  Christ  between  the  ages  of 
fifty  and  sixty  should  stand  there  were  only  four  in  the 
five  thousand  who  stood  to  make  such  confession.  I  am 
aware  that  this  may  not  have  been  an  exact  test,  for  all 
may  not  have  perfectly  understood  the  call,  but  it  can  be 
proven  by  the  statistics  of  the  Church  that  the  majority 
of  people  come  to  Christ  before  the  age  of  twenty,  and 
if  they  do  not  come  at  this  time  the  chances  begin  to 
run  mightily  against  them. 

Fifth — To  put  any  hindrance  in  the  way  of  their 
coming,  or  to  be  indifferent  to  their  acceptance  of  Christ, 
is  a  responsibility  too  grave  to  be  borne  by  any  of  us. 

The  little  son  of  a  distinguished  minister  came  to 
him  one  day  to  say  that  he  wanted  to  become  a  member 
of  the  Church.     His  father  thought  he  knew  the  boy  and 

113 


said  to  him:  "My  son,  you  may  not  just  understand 
what  it  means  to  join  the  Church."  The  child,  however, 
assured  him  that  he  did.  Finally  the  father  persuaded 
him  to  accept  this  proposition.  He  said:  "We  are  just 
now  going  away  for  the  summer  vacation.  When  we 
come  back,  if  you  still  wish  it,  we  will  then  take  you 
into  the  Church."  This  was  not  according  to  the  boy's 
desire,  but  he  yielded.  The  summer  passed,  but,  said 
this  minister:  "When  I  came  back  in  the  fall  I  came 
back  without  my  boy.  He  died  in  the  summer  days." 
Doubtless  the  child  was  accepted  of  Christ  because  of  his 
desire,  but  I  am  firmly  convinced  that  he  ought  to  have 
been  in  the  Church,  and  the  father  believes  it,  too,  to- 
day. 

There  are  those  who  will  not  come  to  Christ  if  they 
are  not  urged  to  do  so  in  childhood.  In  one  of  the  cities 
of  New  York  a  minister  arose  in  one  of  the  meetings  to 
say:  ' 'Let  me  tell  you  of  a  playmate  of  mine,  a  little 
girl.  There  was  a  special  service  in  the  school  of  which 
we  were  both  members ;  an  appeal  was  made  which  re- 
sulted in  my  own  conversion.  This  girl  was  even  more 
deeply  moved  than  I,  but  there  being  no  one  to  lead  her 
to  a  decision,  she  left  the  school.  I  met  her  years  after 
in  Paris,  when  I  asked  her  if  she  ever  became  a  Chris- 
tian. With  a  sneer  on  her  face,  that  had  once  been  wet 
with  tears,  she  said:  "Why,  I  never  think  of  it,  and 
have  not  for  years.  I  have  clearly  made  up  my  mind 
that  I  shall  never  be  a  Christian."  What  God  in  His 
mercy  may  do  for  her  before  her  life's  journey  ends  I 
cannot  say,  but  there  was  a  time  when,  as  a  child,  one 
touch  of  helpfulness  would  have  led  her  to  a  decision. 


TT4 


Sixth — When  you  lead  a  child  to  Christ,  as  a  rule,  the 
work  does  not  stop  with  that  one  little  life.  Others  have 
been  won  indirectly  by  that  one.  Characters  have  been 
transformed  and  entire  homes  have  been  changed  by 
the  conversion  of  children. 

I  was  preaching  in  an  Ohio  city  when  I  had  one 
night  pointed  out  to  me  in  the  audience  one  of  the  lead- 
ing business  men  of  the  State.  His  wife  sat  with  him, 
and  between  them  their  one  little  child.  I  have  never 
had  more  indifferent  or  inattentive  auditors  than  the 
gentleman  and  his  wife;  they  paid  no  attention  to  either 
speaking  or  singing,  but  the  little  child  scarcely  took 
her  eyes  from  me.  The  meeting  closed  and  they  went 
home;  the  child's  heart  had  been  touched.  When  she 
climbed  up  into  her  father's  arms  to  say  good-night,  she 
said  to  him:  "Papa,  I  wish  you  would  be  a  Christian,  so 
that  I  could  be  one,  too."  What  the  sermon  and  the 
song  failed  to  do,  the  child  accomplished.  And  before 
they  slept  that  night  both  the  father  and  the  mother  had 
yielded  themselves  to  Christ. 

It  is  not  impossible  that  a  "  Decision  Day"  in  the 
Sunday  school  might  mean  entire  households  saved.  If 
we  have  been  faithful  in  our  work  as  teachers  and  su- 
perintendents, there  are  certain  things  we  have  a  right  to 
expect  from  God. 

First — That  He  will  honor  His  own  Word. 

If  you  have  presented  the  plan  of  salvation  to  your 
scholars  and  stand  ready  to  be  used  of  God  to  help  the 
scholar  to  a  confession  of  Christ,  you  have  a  right  to  ex- 
pect that  He  will  set  His  seal  upon  your  work. 

Second — If  you  have  presented  Christ  to  your  schol- 
ars, you  have  a  perfect  right  to  believe  that  the  Spirit  of 


God  will  witness  to  Him  and  make  Him  a  power  in  the 
life  of  your  scholar,  for  this  is  His  work. 

Third. — You  have  a  perfect  right  also,  these  condi- 
tions being  fulfilled,  to  look  for  and  expect  the  conversion 
of  the  scholars  of  your  class. 

THE  NAME. 

The  day  in  the  interests  of  which  this  message  is  sent 
forth  may  well  be  called"  The  Decision  Day  in  the  Sunday 
school."  It  would  be  perfectly  natural  to  expect  con- 
versions constantly,  and  if  our  schools  were  as  God 
would  have  them  be,  our  children  would  come  as  natu- 
rally into  the  kingdom  of  God  as  the  sun  rises  in  the 
morning  and  sets  at  night.  But  it  is  a  wise  thing,  even 
if  this  be  true,  to  appoint  certain  days  when  decisions 
may  be  wisely  and  strongly  urged.  These  days  may 
be  more  or  less  frequent,  as  the  workers  in  the  church 
may  elect,  but  ought  certainly  to  be  observed  each  year, 
although  in  some  schools  they  are  held  as  often  as  once 
a  quarter  and  always  with  blessing. 

Let  the  following  rules  be  adopted,  or  modified,  so  as 
to  meet  the  needs  of  the  various  communities,  and  the 
writer  can  assure  those  following  them  that  the  efforts 
will  certainly  be  crowned  with  success. 

i.  Plan  and  pray  about  the  time  you  set  apart  and 
let  it  be  far  enough  in  the  future  to  prevent  anything 
coming  in  the  way  of  its  successful  prosecution  or 
standing  before  it  as  a  hindrance. 

2.  When  the  day  arrives  let  the  pastor  preach  such  a 
sermon  as  would  lead  parents  to  see  their  responsibility 
and  to  make  the  teachers  understand  their  opportunity 
for  marvelous  service. 

116 


3.  Appoint  a  prayer  meeting  for  the  teachers  at  least 
half  an  hour  before  the  time  of  the  session  of  the  school. 
In  this  meeting  let  special  prayer  be  offered ;  first  for 
the  teachers,  that  they  may  be  specially  anointed  for 
this  special  work ;  second,  for  the  unconverted  scholars. 
It  is  a  good  plan  to  have  the  names  before  you  for 
special  mention.  In  one  school  in  Pennsylvania  the 
pastor  himself  had  secured  the  names  of  seventy-five  of 
the  scholars  who  had  not  accepted  Christ,  and  with  all 
the  teachers  on  their  knees  he  read  over  these  names 
one  by  one  until  he  could  read  no  more,  because  of  the 
sobs  of  those  who  filled  the  room,  and  he  told  me  when 
the  results  were  tabulated  that  he  did  not  believe  there 
was  one  of  the  seventy-five  that  had  not  taken  a  stand 
for  Christ. 

4.  Make  the  session  of  the  school  special  in  every 
way. 

(1)  Sing  only  such  hymns  as  would  produce  a  tender 
impression  upon  both  scholar  and  teacher.  Much  of  the 
so-called  Sunday  school  music  would  be  inappropriate 
for  such  a  day.  Such  hymns  as  "  Just  As  I  Am  Without 
One  Plea,"  "Nearer,  My  God,  To  Thee,"  "Jesus,  Lover  of 
My  Soul,"  and  "Jesus  Paid  It  All,"  would  be  more 
helpful. 

(2)  Mark  the  attendance  and  take  the  offering  of 
the  school,  so  that  nothing  may  be  in  the  way  at  the 
close  of  the  session  when  the  special  appeal  is  to  be  made 
by  the  pastor. 

(3)  Call  on  different  teachers  to  pray  briefly  as 
they  sit  with  their  scholars,  so  that  at  once  it  may  be 
understood  that  the  session  of  the  school  is  special  and 
that  you  are  waiting  much  upon  God  about  it. 

117 


CHAPTER    XXXI. 

Summer  (Evangelism. 

By  the  Rev.J.  F.  Carson,  D.D. 

The  need  of  some  special  method  of  presenting  the 
Gospel  in  the  summer  season  arises  from  the  condition 
in  which  the  Church  finds  herself.  From  the  first  of  June 
to  the  first  of  October  there  is  a  practical  cessation  of 
aggressive  church  work  in  our  cities.  Two  other  months, 
May  and  October,  are  broken  into  and  the  church  has 
left  about  six  months  in  the  year  in  which  to  carry  on 
her  aggressive  work.  During  the  summer  months  many 
churches  close  and  many  others  might  as  well  close  as 
far  as  an  attendance  of  the  people  is  concerned.  The 
people  will  not  go  to  church  during  the  summer.  But 
the  people  are  in  the  city  during  the  summer.  These 
people  have  a  claim  upon  the  ministries  of  the  Church  and 
the  Church  has  amission  to  them.  If  they  will  not  come 
to  the  church,  the  church  must  go  to  them,  must  meet 
them  on  their  own  ground,  preach  to  them  in  the  places 
where  they  are  in  the  habit  of  going. 

Among  the  methods  for  reaching  the  people  during 
the  summer  season,  those  which  take  advantage  of  the 
people's  desire  for  the  open  air  are  the  most  successful. 
People  sit  on  the  steps  and  not  by  the  fireside  on  summer 
evenings.  They  ride  in  open  cars  rather  than  the  closed 
during  the  Summer.  They  prefer  the  boat,  with  its 
broad  decks,  to  the  train  for  travel.  The  Church 
should  meet  the  sentiment  of  the  people  and  preach  to 
them  in  the  open  air. 

There  is  abundant  endorsement  of  this  open  air 
work.  Ezra's  pulpit  of  wood  was  erected  in  the  open  air, 
118 


Christ  taught  more  on  the  mountain-side  and  the  sea- 
shore than  He  did  in  the  synagogue  or  in  the  upper 
room.  Paul  was  an  open-air  preacher.  Whether  on 
Mar's  Hill  or  in  the  market  place,  he  preached  where  the 
people  thronged.  It  was  an  old  man  preaching  in  the 
open  air  who  was  the  instrument  in  the  conversion  of 
Justin  Martin.  Wickliff's  poor  priests  preached  almost 
exclusively  in  the  open-air.  Peter  Waldo  and  his  asso- 
ciates were  open-air  preachers.  John  Huss  began  the 
Bohemian  Reformation  in  open-air  services.  John  Liv- 
ingston's great  sermon,  which  led  to  the  conversion  of 
five  hundred  Scotchmen,  was  preached  in  a  storm  in  the 
open  air.  John  Welsh  preached  almost  incessantly  in  the 
open  air.  George  Whitfield's  open-air  preaching  at  the 
Kingswood  Colliery  was  attended  by  thousands.  When 
he  went  to  London  he  was  urged  to  preach  in  some  church 
or  hall ;  it  would  be  more  dignified  and  more  seemly ; 
but  he  says  he  was  controlled  by  an  overwhelming  passion 
to  preach  in  the  open  air,  and  so  on  Moorsfield  he  preached 
the  Gospel  to  thousands.  John  Wesley  was  at  first  op- 
posed to  open-air  preaching,  fearing  that  it  might  bring 
the  movement  which  he  led  into  disrepute,  but  when  he 
realized  the  results  which  attended  such  services  he  be- 
came an  open-air  preacher.  Hartwell  Pratt's  "Glad 
Tidings  Tent "  in  New  York  has  been  the  birthplace  of 
many  souls.  The  tent  services  carried  on  by  the  Pres- 
byterian Evangelistic  Committee  in  Philadelphia  have 
resulted  in  the  salvation  of  many  and  in  the  strengthen- 
ing of  the  faith  of  more.  This  work  has  been  so  successful 
and  so  richly  blessed  that  special  attention  is  called  to 
the  next  chapter  on  "  The  Philadelphia  Tent  Movement." 


ug 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

<£l)e  H3I)ilabeI|jt)ia   (Slent  Movement. 

The  Committee  directing  the  Tent  Movement  in 
Philadelphia  during  the  past  three  summers  represented 
the  Presbyterian  Social  Union,  which  is  an  organization 
of  the  laymen  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  the  two 
Presbyteries  of  Philadelphia.  Headquarters  were  estab- 
lished in  the  Witherspoon  Building,  where  the  Committee 
met  weekly,  and  from  which  point  the  General  Secretary, 
Rev.  James  B,  Ely,  gave  his  entire  time  to  directing 
work  of  the  various  tents,  visiting  in  the  homes,  and 
the  work  in  connection  with  the  various  sub-committees. 
The  central  office  was  equipped  with  stenographer,  office 
boy,  typewriter,  and  telephone.  Each  member  of  the 
General  Committee  was  placed  upon  one  of  the  follow- 
ing sub-committees:  Speakers,  Tents  and  Locations, 
Finance,  Music  and  Press. 

LOCAL  COMMITTEE. 

In  districts  where  it  was  determined  to  locate  tents, 
Local  Committees  were  organized  from  the  neighboring 
Presbyterian  Churches.  These  committees  were  in  im- 
mediate charge  of  the  work  within  their  own  bounds. 
Fully  one  hundred  men  served  on  various  local  commit- 
tees. A  larger  number  aided  the  services  by  attend- 
ing and  often  assisting,  as  occasion  required.  All  work, 
such  as  ushering,  organizing  choirs,  looking  after  the 
tents,  securing  helpers  for  inquiry  meetings,  distributing 
invitations,  notices  and  tracts  was  faithfully  attended 
to  by  the  Local  Committees. 


TENTS. 

Seven  tents  were  in  operation  during  the  past  sum- 
mer. Five  of  them  were  moved  from  one  point  to 
another.  Two  of  them  remained  in  their  original  loca- 
tion during  the  entire  summer. 

HELPERS. 

It  was  found  that  in  order  to  secure  satisfactory 
returns,  the  work  of  preaching  and  singing  in  meetings 
must  be  supplemented  by  personal  work  not  only  in  the 
inquiry  meetings,  but  also  in  the  homes.  Seven  men 
gave  their  entire  time  to  assisting  in  the  details  of  the 
conducting  cottage  prayer  meetings.  Between  six  and 
seven  thousand  homes  were  thus  visited  during  the  sum- 
mer, and  in  some  cases  several  visits  were  made  to  the 
same  house.  All  who  confessed  Christ  in  the  services 
were,  so  far  as  their  names  could  be  secured,  visited 
in  their  homes,  and  in  some  cases  visited  several  times. 
Many  were  by  this  means  located  in  churches  of  their 
choice.  In  a  large  number  of  homes  family  worship 
was  established.  In  some  of  the  districts,  cottage 
prayer  meetings  were  regularly  conducted. 

THE  SPEAKERS. 

Some  idea  of  the  extent  of  this  work  may  be  had 
from  the  number  of  men  who  were  engaged  in  it.  In 
addition  to  the  members  of  the  local  committees,  the 
helpers,  the  singers  and  the  city  pastors,  many  of  whom 
preached  frequently  in  the  tents,  the  following  speakers 
from  outside  the  city  were  engaged  in  the  work  — 
some  were  engaged  through  the   entire  summer,  others 

121 


gave  only  a  few  services:  Mr.  John  Willis  Baer,  of 
Boston;  Reverend  J.  F.  Carson,  D.D.,  of  Brooklyn; 
Mr.  Rowland  D.  Edwards,  an  English  Evangelist;  Rev- 
erend William  M.  Hindrnann,  D.  D.,  of  Lincoln,  Ne- 
braska; Rev.  C.  A.  R.  Janvier,  of  India;  Reverend 
Samuel  Livermore ;  Rev.  John  McNeil,  the  Scotch  Evan- 
gelist; Reverend  L.  W.  Munhall,  Evangelist:  Reverend 
Ford  C.  Ottman,  of  Newark;  Reverend  J.  McP. 
Scott,  of  Canada;  Mr.  F.  Shieverea,  Evangelist;  Rev. 
Arthur  J.  Smith,  Evangelist;  Reverend  R.  Howard 
Taylor,  of  Baltimore;  Rev.  D.  S.  Toy,  of  Baltimore; 
Rev.  H.  H.  Wells,  Evangelist. 

EXPENSES. 

The  cost  of  the  work  for  last  Summer  was  $10,612.93. 
This  sum  was  distributed  as  follows: 

Office  Expenses  (salaries,  stationery,  postage, 

telephone,  etc.),      ....        -  $1,498.52 

Speakers, 3,291.24 

Helpers,          -                 898.00 

Tents  and  Maintenance  (light,  chairs,  jan- 
itors, etc.), 2,185.68 

Music,            .-..._.  2,014.68 
Advertising  (street  cars,  daily  papers,  post- 
ers, etc.), 724.81 

Total         .....        $10,612.93 

All  of  this  money  was  secured  by  voluntary  contri- 
butions. No  collections  were  taken  at  any  of  the  tent 
services  or  other  meetings.  Nearly  all  the  money  was 
pledged  by  contributors  before  the  work  was  begun. 


ESTIMATE  OF  EXPENSES  OF  ONE  TENT. 

If  tents  are  purchased,  approximate  price  of  a  tent 
to  hold  from  five  to  six  hundred  people  is  $250.00  and 
of  a  tent  to  hold  from  three  hundred  and  fifty  to  four 
hundred  people,  $175.00  If  tents  are  rented,  the  rental 
would  probably  be  from  $50  to  $100  for  the  season  of 
three  months. 

The  other  items  of  expense  connected  with  tent  ser- 
vices are  as  follows: 

Renting  of  chairs,  per  hundred,  $7.50  a  month. 

Kitson  lights,  per  light,  about  $10  per  month,  two 
lights  for  each  tent. 

Janitor,  per  week,  on  an  average  $9.00. 

Regular  music,  per  week  for  each  tent,  $20. 

Special  music,  per  tent,  $12. 

In  addition  to  these  items,  the  expense  of  helper  and 
evangelist  must  be  added.  Advertising  cost  per  tent 
per  week,  about  $5. 

A  collection  of  suitable  hymns  (words  and  music) 
can  be  had  at  5  cents  per  volume.  There  are  about  one 
hundred  hymns  in  a  volume,  prepared  by  the  Pres- 
byterian Evangelistic  Committee  of  Philadelphia. 

RESULTS. 

During  last  summer  there  was  an  average  of  fifty 
meetings  held  each  week.  Ten  children's  meetings 
were  held  weekly.  About  15,000  was  the  aggregate 
attendance  every  week.  An  aggregate  of  fully  150,000 
people  were  brought  under  the  influence  of  the  Gospel 
directly  during  the  summer.  Christian  workers  have 
testified  to  the  stimulus  they  themselves  have  received 
123 


through  the  work.  Fully  six  hundred  of  those  who  pro- 
fessed conversion  were  visited  personally  by  helpers. 
Many,  in  addition  to  these,  accepted  Jesus  Christ  as  their 
personal  Saviour.  In  certain  sections,  policemen  joined 
with  many  others  in  testifying  to  the  good  effect  of  the 
meetings  on  the  community  as  a  whole.  Mr.  John  H. 
Converse,  chairman  of  the  Philadelphia  Committee,  has 
written:  "The  tent  services  for  the  past  three  years 
have  been  instrumental  in  founding  new  churches. 
Undoubtedly  much  may  be  accomplished  in  this  direc- 
tion. Profiting  by  experience,  it  is  the  purpose  of  the 
Committee  to  locate  tents  so  that  they  may  lead,  if  pos- 
sible, to  permanent  work.  The  method  of  managing 
and  supervising  the  tent  services  in  each  locality  by  a  com- 
mittee drawn  from  the  adjacent  Presbyterian  churches, 
is  intended  to  make  the  tent  services  directly  con- 
ducive to  building  up  the  neighboring  churches. 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

®l)e  <2Drg  animation  of  tt)e  &ent  ittoocment.* 

By  the  Rev.  James  B.  Ely, 

Secretary  of  the  Philadelphia  Presbyterian   Evangelists 
Committee. 

On  the  human  side,  the  effectiveness  and  wide  ex- 
tending influence  of  the  Philadelphia  movement 
through  the  city  has  been  largely  due  to  its  being  a 
systematic  and  organized  effort.  Men  of  various  gifts 
and  talents  find  active  place  in  it.  Ministers,  laymen, 
young  people,  Christian    workers    of    all    classes    are 

*From  an  article  in  the  Presbyterian  Journal  of  August  I,  1901. 
124 


appealed  to  for  service.  The  bringing  together  and 
uniting  the  various  forces  and  directing  them  is  in  itself 
more  than  half  the  task. 

The  unique  feature  of  the  Philadelphia  committee 
which  distinguishes  it  from  other  evangelistic  efforts  lies 
in  the  fact  that  it  is  an  officially  appointed  agent  of  a 
single  denomination.  It  has  not  been  the  plan  of  the 
committee  to  work  on  entirely  denominational  lines, 
but  rather  to  preach  the  simple  gospel  of  salvation  in 
its  broadest  sense.  The  denominational  feature  is 
commendable  because  of  the  definite  locating  of  re- 
sponsibility and  the  bringing  to  the  front  in  a  promi- 
nent way  this  important  branch  of  the  church  work, 
which  has  too  long  and  too  often  been  only  assumed. 

The  Committee  on  the  Tent  Movement  represents 
the  two  Presbyteries  of  Philadelphia  on  the  ministerial 
side  and  the  Social  Union  (a  layman's  organization)' on 
the  laity  side.  Twenty-nine  men— fifteen  ministers  and 
fourteen  laymen — constitute  the  committee,  and  are  offi- 
cially appointed  by  the  organizations  mentioned.  The 
organization  of  such  a  committee  is  not  a  formal  matter, 
existing  only  in  name,  but  the  work  is  divided  among 
several  sub-committees  and  faithfully  attended  to  by 
them. 

SUB-COMMITTEES. 

It  is  the  work  of  the  Committee  on  Speakers  to  cor- 
respond with  ministers  and  evangelists,  and  to  make  all 
definite  engagements  and  arrangements  with  them. 
By  the  committee  speakers  are  assigned  to  the  tents  in 
which  they  are  to  labor. 

125 


The  work  of  the  Committee  on  Music  is  to  provide 
song  books  and  to  engage  soloists,  organists,  cornetists, 
precentors,  etc.  The  committee  has  found  it,  however, 
good  policy  to  place  considerable  responsibility  for  pro- 
viding music  upon  the  local  district  committees. 

The  work  assigned  to  another  committee  is  to  pro- 
vide tents,  some  of  which  they  buy ;  others  are  rented. 
They  also  have  the  responsibility  of  locating  the  same 
in  sections  of  the  city  where  the  General  Committee  in- 
tend to  operate.  It  is  their  duty,  also,  to  provide  the 
chairs,  lighting,  stage,  platforms,  etc. 

The  Committee  on  Finance  has  charge  of  raising 
the  necessary  funds  for  the  work. 

DISTRICT     COMMITTEES. 

In  each  of  the  locations  where  tents  are  to  be  situated 
a  district  committee  is  organized,  representing  as  many 
of  the  Presbyterian  churches  of  the  district  as  may  be 
able  to  come  into  the  movement.  While  the  Central 
Committee  provides  tents  with  equipment,  speakers, 
one  assistant,  bearing  all  the  expense  of  the  same,  the 
local  committee  is  made  responsible  for  the  carrying 
out  of  the  details  of  the  work.  It  is  their  duty  to  rally 
workers  from  the  neighboring  chuiches  and  to  organize 
them  into  ushers,  singers,  personal  workers  and  visitors 
in  the  community.  They  also  have  charge  of  the  distribu- 
tion of  the  literature  and  all  the  advertising  matter  con- 
nected with  the  tent.  The  effectiveness  of  the  tent  work 
rests  largely  with  the  local  committee.  All  the  meetings 
are  reported  in  detail  on  a  postal  card  prepared  for  the 
purpose  to  the  central  office.  By  10  o'clock  daily  the 
126 


Central  Committee,  through  the  system  of  reporting,  is 
acquainted  with  the  condition  in  all  the  tents,  and  can 
give  intelligent  information  regarding  the  meetings 
that  have  been  held  during  the  previous  nights.  The 
chairman  of  the  local  committees  are  in  connection  by 
telephone  with  the  central  office.  In  this  way  the  work 
is  in  its  minutest  detail  kept  well  in  hand.  To  some  the 
organization  may  seem  elaborate,  but  it  is  perfectly 
simple  and  thoroughly  workable,  The  committee  real- 
izes, however,  that  in  addition  to  the  organization  and 
the  elaborate  machinery  that  may  be  required  to  manage 
the  work,  it  is  not  by  their  might  nor  power,  but  by  the 
Spirit  of  the  living  God,  that  the  real  work  is  truly 
accomplished. 

CHAPTFR   XXXIV. 

Eemtwis  (Eemporarn. 

By  the  Rev.  Theodore  L.  Cuyler,  D.  D. 

It  is  sometimes  said  as  an  objection  to  revivals  of 
religion  that  they  are  "mere  temporary  excitements. ' 
True  enough.  Pentecost  lasted  one  day,  but  that  one 
day  changed  the  moral  face  of  the  globe.  Luther's 
Reformation  work  was  comprised  within  a  few  years; 
Europe  and  the  world  feel  it  to  this  hour.  The  mem- 
orable revival  of  1857  began  with  a  few  praying  hearts 
in  New  York — it  culminated  in  a  few  weeks ;  its  outward 
phenomena  ceased  in  a  twelve-month.  The  influence 
spread  across  the  seas,  and  around  the  globe.  Did  the 
results  end  with  the  end  of  the  excitement  ?  Have  its 
converts  all  gone  back  to  unbelief  and  ungodliness  • 
127 


No !  That  revival  has  its  enduring  monuments  in  nearly 
every  church  on  this  continent.  Its  history  will  blaze 
on  one  of  the  brightest  pages  of  God's  record-books, 
which  shall  be  opened  on  the  day  of  judgment.  Reviv- 
als are  temporary  in  duration.  This  is  partly  to  be 
accounted  for  through  God's  sovereignty,  and  partly 
through  human  imperfection.  Revivals  are  commonly 
short-lived,  and  they  often  are  attended  with  a  few  ex- 
cesses and  false  conversions.  But  would  any  sane  man 
object  to  copious  rain  because  it  did  not  continue  to  rain 
on  forever  ?  Would  he  object  to  it,  either,  because  it 
had  swelled  a  few  streams  into  a  freshet,  and  carried  off 
a  few  mill-dams  and  bridges  ?  Shall  we  do  away  with 
steam  power  simply  because  the  boiler  of  the  St.  John 
exploded  and  blew  a  dozen  human  beings  into  eternity? 
Revivals  are  indeed  attended  with  incidental  dangers; 
but  they  are  only  such  as  belong  to  the  constitution  of 
imperfect  human  nature.  They  are  in  accordance  with 
the  divine  plan.  They  are  in  harmony  with  church- 
agency  in  the  best  days  of  the  church's  history. 

CHAPTER  XXXV. 

Suggestions  from  (Dbsenmtion. 

By  the  Rev.  Robert  Hunter,  D.D. 

Union   Tabernacle  Presbyterian  Church,   Philadelphia. 

For  three  years  I  have  been  closely  and  actively 
identified  with  the  management  of  the  tent  work  in 
Philadelphia,  and  from  this  I  have  learned  that  there  is 
need  of  business  wisdom  in  conducting  such  work. 
There  are  men  who  have  endorsements  as  evangelists 
128 


who  are  a  hindrance  to  everything  with  which  they  are 
identified.  On  the  other  hand,  there  are  men  whose 
every  service  counts  for  good.  The  first  thing  is,  get 
the  right  men. 

Again,  my  observation  leads  me  to  prefer  the  ''in- 
quiry room"  rather  than  "standing  up"  in  the  audience. 
Many  stand  up  whose  confession  ends  right  there.  Get 
a  man  into  the  inquiry  room,  and  reason  it  out  with  him, 
and  then  put  him  in  touch  with  some  church,  and  he  is 
almost  sure  to  stick. 

I  like  the  signing  of  cards,  for  while  it  is  true  that  a 
number  never  amount  to  anything,  still  quite  a  large 
number  do. 

After  all,  it  is  the  personal  work  that  counts,  after 
the  preaching  has  been  done,  and  also  as  preparatory  to 
the  preaching.  May  it  not  be  possible  that  the  weak- 
ness of  much  of  our  modern  work  is  that  we  make  too 
much  of  singing  (I  mean  « 'a  good  time"  in  singing)  and 
exhortation,  and  too  little  of  the  quiet  appeal  of  the  con- 
secrated worker. 

Campbell  Morgan  struck  the  nail  on  the  head  in 
urging  definiteness  in  prayer.  There  are  so  many, 
known  to  believers,  who  are  not  saved.  Why  should 
we  not  get  them  on  our  hearts  and  combine  to  present 
their  names  definitely  at  the  throne  of  grace  in  secret 
and  pray  directly  for  the  conversion  of  each  individual  ? 
It  is  one  thing  to  pray  in  a  general  way  for  a  revival; 
it  is  quite  another  thing  to  pray  specifically  for  the  con- 
version of  individuals.     We  need  more  of  this. 

Then  again,  I  would  not  encourage  either  the  evan- 
gelist or  the  new  convert  to  hold  himself  up  in  public  in 
the  matter  of  minute  details  as  to  former  wickedness. 

I2Q 


It  is  enough  to  talk  about  this  to  the  Lord.  It  is  not 
edifying  to  anybody  and  does  more  harm  than  good,  in 
my  judgment. 

CHAPTER   XXXVI. 

01  pastor's   Suggestions. 

By  the  Rev.  Arthur  W.  Spooner,  D.D. 
Calvary  Presbyterian  Church,  Camden,  N.  J. 

It  seems  to  me  that  the  starting  point  for  the  minis- 
ter is  Exodus,  32:32.  Until  he  feels  something  like  that, 
how  can  his  motive  be  the  glorifying  of  God  ? 

God  has  made  it  plain  by  the  widespread  spiritual 
dearth  of  the  past  few  years  that  mere  human  devices 
will  do  little  towards  bringing  the  unsaved  to  Christ. 
Has  not  that  which  is  purely  human  been  unduly  ex- 
alted ?  The  Church  must  pray  for  the  unsaved ;  not  an 
omnibus  prayer,  but  personal,  specific  prayer.  At  our 
communion  service  last  Sunday  (November  3,  1901),  I 
called  upon  my  people  to  vow  with  uplifted  hand  to 
pray  constantly  that  God  would  help  each  one  to  lead  at 
least  one  soul  to  Christ  before  the  January  communion. 
The  response  was  large. 

The  elders  must  take  upon  their  hearts  certain  fami- 
lies and  become  their  spiritual  sponsors.  We  have  failed 
to  use  our  elders  as  they  should  be  used. 

In  my  judgment  heroic  work  must  be  done  in  be- 
half of  our  church  members  before  there  can  be  much  of 
an  awakening.  The  Spirit  works  through,  not  over  or 
around,  those  who  bear  the  name  of  Christ.  All  through 
next  week  I  expect  to  preach  a  series  of  "companionship 
130 


sermons"  to  my  own  people.  The  topics  are:  i.  Learn- 
ing of  Jesus.  2.  Walking  with  Jesus.  3.  Leaning  on 
Jesus.  4.  Working  with  Jesus.  5.  Suffering  with 
Jesus.     6.  Crowned  by  Jesus. 

CHAPTER   XXXVII. 

Snggestiue  Paragraphs. 

"  Do  not  send  for  a  man,  send  first  for  the  Master." 
Dr.  Cuyler. 

Machinery   is   useless,  unless   ' '  the   living  spirit  is ' 
within  the  wheels." 

A  true  revival  is  kindled  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  but  the 
Holy  Spirit  employs  human  agents. 

An  eminent  minister  is  quoted  as  saying:  "  I  never 
had  a  revival  under  my  ministry  without  laboring  for 
it  and  expecting  it." 

Dr.  E.  N.  Kirk,  of  Boston,  once  said:  "If  I  could 
live  my  life  over  again,  I  would  labor  much  more 
among  the  children."     That  is  work  that  counts. 

Polycarp,  who  suffered  martyrdom  at  the  age  of 
ninety  five,  was  converted  at  the  age  of  nine.  "  When 
he  was  converted  there  was  a  soul  saved  plus  eighty- 
six  years  of  service." 

' '  The  difficulty  with  a  great  many  churches  in  this 
land  is  that  there  are  so  many  old  stumps  in  the  way  of 
the  plow.  There  are  family  feuds — church  members 
who  won't  speak  to  one  another." — D.  L.  Moody. 

Jesus  said:  "  Take  heed  that  ye  despise  not  one  of 
these  little  ones."  "The  word  translated  'despise' 
is  a  very  suggestive  word.  It  means  literally  to  think 
down,  to  think  little  or  nothing  of.     The  conversion  of 

131 


a  child  may  be  of  little  importance  in  ottr  sight,  but  it  is 
of  immense  importance  in  Jesus'  sight." 

Marion  Lawrence  says  :  '*  I  was  sitting  one  day 
with  Mr.  John  Wanamaker,  and  he  said:  'We  have  the 
best  end  of  it.  When  yon  save  a  man  or  a  woman,  you 
save  a  unit ;  but  when  you  save  a  boy  or  a  girl  you  save 
a  whole  multiplication  table.'  It  is  a  great  thing  to  save 
a  soul  at  any  age,  but  it  is  the  greatest  thing  to  save  a 
soul  plus  a  life." 

Just  after  Jacob  Riis  had  issued  his  book,  "  How  the 
Other  Half  Lives,''  in  which  he  made  the  appeal  of  his 
life  for  help  for  the  slum  people,  he  found  this  card  on 
his  desk 

MR.    THEODORE    ROOSEVELT, 

on  which  was  penciled  ' '  I  have  read  your  book  and  have 
come  to  help."  And  he  helped  like  a  Hercules.  His 
was  the  spirit  of  a  man  of  heart  which  could  be  moved 
by  the  appeal  for  the  needy  and  the  ignorant,  and  those 
who  were  out  of  the  way.  The  appeal  was  to  him.  It 
re-echoes  the  pledge  of  allegiance  made  by  David's 
mighty  men,  • '  Thine  we  are."  Would  there  were  more 
with  the  spirit  of  Theodore  Roosevelt  ! 

Charles  G.  Finney,  the  prince  of  American  Evangel- 
ists, always  began  with  an  effort  to  awaken  cold  and 
indifferent  Christians  before  he  made  any  effort  to  arouse 
the  impenitent.  "  His  sermons,"  one  has  said,  "were 
often  chain-lightning ;  they  burned  into  the  very  core  of 
human  hearts,  and  the  glory  of  Finney's  work  was  that  it 
resulted  generally  in  converted  characters  and  lives.  He 
strove  not  only  to  melt  human  hearts,  but,  by  the  Divine 

132 


power  imparted  through  the  truth,  to  mould  them  into 
some  resemblance  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Many  of 
the  noblest  men  and  women  who  led  in  Christian  enter- 
prises and  moral  reforms  were  the  shining  products  of 
Finney's  red-hot  ministry." 

Mr.  Moody  said  in  an  address  on  personal  work: — 
* '  There  was  a  prominent  minister  in  New  York  City — a 
good  man,  too — and  one  of  his  elders  said  to  him:  '  Why 
can't  we  have  an  inquiry  meeting  ?  It  seems  to  me  we 
might  have  a  great  many  converts  just  now.'  The 
minister  said:  'Well,  just  to  please  you  I  will  try  one, 
but  I  don't  believe  any  one  will  come  to  it.'  So  the 
next  night  he  announced  if  there  were  any  persons  con- 
cerned about  their  souls,  the  session  would  be  in  the 
session  room  and  meet  them.  Why,  he  might  as  well 
have  asked  them  to  go  before  a  justice  of  the  peace  !  If 
you  want  to  get  these  people  to  talk  with  you,  put  your- 
self in  their  way,  and  make  it  easy  for  them  to  come  and 
see  you." 

Revivals  usually  have  small  beginnings.  Dr.  Cuy- 
ler  says  that  nearly  all  the  revivals  which  have  been  in 
the  churches  under  his  charge  commenced  in  one  or  two 
individual  hearts.  "  The  first  one  began  with  the  faith- 
ful talk  of  a  sweet  young  girl  to  an  impenitent  friend- 
In  1872  Mr.  Moody  (not  yet  famous)  instituted  a  series 
of  prayer  meetings  and  Bible  readings  in  our  new  mis- 
sion chapel;  but  a  couple  of  dozen  persons  attended 
them.  '  This  seems  slow  work,'  I  said  to  him.  'Very 
true,'  replied  the  sagacious  brother,  '  it  is  slow,  but  if 
you  want  to  kindle  a  fire  you  collect  a  handful  of  sticks, 
light  them  with  a  match,  and  keep  blowing  until  they 
biaze,  then  heap  on  the  wood.     So  I  am  working  here 

133 


with  a  handful  of  Christians,  endeavoring  to  get  them  to 
consecrate  themselves  fully  to  Jesus,  and  if  they  get  well 
warmed  with  Divine  love,  a  general  revival  will  come, 
and  sinners  will  be  reached  and  brought  in.'  He  was- 
right,  and  his  sagacious  efforts  were  followed  by  a  deep 
and  effective  work  of  grace  that  changed  many  hearts 
and  lives.  Let  us  never  despise  the  day  of  small 
things." 

CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

(Elje    parochial    iflission  of  tlje  (Sfjriscopai 
OTtyttrri). 

In  his  book  on  "Revivals  and  Missions,"  Dr.  Chap- 
man has  given  a  full  and  interesting  account  of  the 
parochial  Missions  of  the  Episcopal  Church.  We  make 
a  few  extracts  from  that  account. 

Prior  to  1869  evangelistic  work  in  the  form  of  paro- 
chial missions  had  been  carried  on  with  varying  de- 
grees  of  success,  in  different  parts  of  this  country  and  of 
England ;  but  the  impulse  which  was  given  by  the  great 
London  Mission  of  189c  may  fairly  be  said  to  mark  the 
beginning  of  what  we  may  call  an  evangelistic  era  in 
the  history  of  the  Anglican  communion.  The  way  had 
been  prepared  through  the  prayers  and  labors  of  men 
like  Robert  Aitken  and  the  priests  of  the  Society  of  St. 
John  the  Evangelist.  These  men  felt,  with  John  Wesley, 
the  need  of  some  quickening  power  within  the  Church 
of  England.  They  saw  how  the  Parochial  Mission  had 
become  a  regular  feature  of  aggressive  work  in  the 
Roman   Church.     They    saw  how  whole    communities 

134 


Were  moved  and  stirred  by  the  preaching  of  Wesleyan 
evangelists  on  the  one  hand,  and  Dominican  and  Re- 
demptorist  monks  on  the  other.  Was  it  not  possible  to 
use  such  effective  instruments  in  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land? They  believed  that  it  was;  and  the  London  Mis- 
sion of  1869  was  alike  an  answer  to  their  prayers  and  a 
confirmation  of  their  judgment.  In  that  year,  some  sixty 
churches  in  the  great  metropolis  began  a  general  paro- 
chial mission. 

From  that  time,  the  Parochial  Mission  has  been  a 
recognized  institution  in  the  Church  of  England.  The 
Church  of  England  Parochial  Missions  Society  has  a 
staff  of  over  two  hundred  missioners,  all  of  whom,  with 
one  or  two  possible  exceptions,  are  also  engaged  in 
regular  parochial  work.  So  firmly  has  the  principle  of 
•evangelistic  work  taken  root,  that  a  brotherhood  of  mis- 
sion preachers  has  been  formed,  to  devote  their  whole 
time  to  this  work.  Men  of  all  shades  of  opinion  in  the 
Church  unite  in  advocacy  of  this  movement.  The 
bishops  are  a, unit  in  its  support,  but  notable  advocates 
of  the  system  are  the  Archbishop  of  York,  and  the  Bish- 
ops of  Rochester  and  Truro. 

While  the  mother  Church  was  thus  active,  her 
American  daughter  did  no.t  fold  her  hands.  There  were 
earnest  men  in  this  country  who  began  to  feel  their 
way  over  rough  places  and  through  much  darkness  to 
safer  ground  and  better  light.  As  far  back  as  1869,  dur- 
ing the  session  of  the  General  Convention  in  the  city  of 
New  York,  an  attempt  was  made  to  organize  a  society 
for  evangelistic  work.  At  a  meeting  in  Calvary  Church, 
stirring  words  were  spoken  by  earnest  men— Bishops 
and   Presbyters.     It   would  seem   that  the  angel   who 

135 


stirred  the  waters  of  England's  Bethesda  was  troubling 
also  the  placid  waters  of  America's  healing  pool. 

One  immediate  outcome  of  the  New  York  Advent 
Mission  was  the  organization  of  the  Parochial  Missions 
Society  for  the  United  States.  The  Bishop  of  New 
York  is  President,  and  more  than  twenty  of  the  Bishops 
are  honorary  Vice-Presidents,  by  virtue  of  their  avowed 
approval  of  the  work.  There  is  a  staff  of  more  than 
thirty  American  missioners.  Under  the  auspices  of  the 
society  there  have  been  held  some  forty  missions.  In 
no  case  has  a  failure  been  reported. 

The  Parochial  Mission  Society  has  given  several 
suggestions  as  to  matter  of  preparing  for  a  mission.  We 
quote  the  suggestions  as  to  organizing  the  workers. 
Let  the  rector  appoint  a  large  executive  committee  who 
must  be  in  complete  accord  with  him  and  with  the  mis- 
sioner,  and  who  shall  have  a  thorough  understanding, 
from  the  very  outset,  about  plans  and  methods.  This 
committee  should  be  subdivided  in  some  such  manner 
as  this: 

i.  A  Visiting  Committee. 

2.  A  Choir  Committee. 

3.  A  Publication  Committee. 

4.  A  Finance  Committee. 

The  visitors  should  be  chosen  from  the  most  earnest 
of  the  workers.  A  map  of  the  parish  should  be  made 
and  divided  into  districts.  Each  of  these  districts  should 
be  intrusted  to  two  visitors,  who  will  go  together  into 
every  house.  Anything  like  condescension  or  a  patron- 
izing manner  is,  of  course,  to  be  avoided.  Let  the  visi- 
tors leave  cards  of  invitation,  supplementing  them  with 
a  few  kindly  words.  If  the  people  visited  be  members 
136 


of  some  other  religious  communion,  it  is  well  to  ask 
them  to  come  on  the  strength  of  the  help  which  their 
example  and  presence  will  give.  Let  such  persons  be 
asked,  also,  to  remember  the  mission  in  their  prayers. 
The  reception  which  visitors  will  receive  will  not  always 
be  cordial ;  but  in  no  case  that  has  yet  come  to  our 
knowledge  have  visitors  been  met  with  anything  like 
rudeness  or  insult.  The  services  of  men  may  also  be 
utilized  as  visitors  to  distribute  cards  of  invitation  in 
stores,  factories,  shops,  and  even  in  billiard  rooms  and 
saloons.  In  one  parish  the  rector  and  his  assistant  un- 
dertook this  last  duty  themselves,  and  were  everywhere 
politely  received. 

Upon  the  publication  committee  will  devolve  much 
responsibility.  Good  business  men  should  be  chosen 
for  this  work — men  who  understand  the  art  of  adver- 
tising. It  will  be  of  immense  advantage  to  secure  the 
co-operation  with  this  committee  of  one  or  more  persons 
connected  with  the  press.  The  courtesy  of  editors 
should  be  used  to  the  utmost  limit  short  of  imposition. 
Frequent  local  notices,  a  vigorous  editorial  by  the  rector, 
besides  paid  advertisements,  should  be  inserted  from 
time  to  time. 

The  work  of  the  finance  committee  will  not  gener- 
ally be  arduous.  As  far  as  possible,  questions  about 
ways  and  means  for  raising  money  should  be  kept  in  the 
background.  SometimeL  the  vestry  will  feel  justified  in 
authorizing  the  expenditure  of  a  given  amount ;  some- 
times a  few  individuals  will  assume  all  responsibility. 
Broadly  speaking,  there  need  be  no  anxiety,  in  any 
parish  on  the  score  of  expense.  Any  venture  of  faith, 
short  of  absolute   presumption,  will  be  abundantly  re- 

137 


warded.  A  mission  need  cost  but  very  little ;  on  the 
other  hand,  a  large  outlay  may  wisely  and  prudently  be 
made.  In  general,  it  may  be  said  that  no  parish  where 
there  is  a  reasonable  prospect  of  holding  a  profitable 
mission,  need  be  deterred  by  any  fear  of  expense. 
Wherever  the  experiment  has  been  tried,  so  far  as  our 
observation  extends,  the  people  have  surprised  them- 
selves by  the  generosity  of  their  offerings.  These  dif- 
ferent sub-committees  should  hold  frequent  meetings 
by  themselves,  and  the  whole  working  force  should  meet 
occasionally  for  mutual  counsel  and  encouragement. 

It  is  superfluous  to  lay  special  stress  again  upon 
the  necessity  of  constant  prayer?  Every  one  who  can 
should  work ;  but  some  who  cannot  work  can  pray.  The 
absent,  the  sick,  the  disabled,  the  aged — let  them  all 
pray  unceasingly,  BELIEVINGLY,  PREVAIL- 
INGLY. 

In  the  conduct  of  these  missions  the  society  plans 
to  vary  the  service  on  Sunday  as  little  as  possible.  One 
of  the  missioners  writes:  "It  is  the  invariable  rule  of 
the  writer  to  do  what  the  Church  directs  first,  and  then 
to  take  the  largest  liberty  which  is  the  reward  of  obedi- 
ence. In  his  missions  he  insists  upon  having  the  daily 
offices,  and  endeavors,  also,  to  observe  a  daily  celebra- 
tion. This  rule  has  never  been  a  hindrance,  but  al- 
ways a  help,  to  securing  attendance  at  the  other  ser- 
vices. There  may  not  be  many  at  morning  and  even- 
ing prayer,  but  there  are  always  the  "two  or  three,"  and 
these  are  enough,  not  only  to  obtain  their  own  petitions 
but  to  represent  their  brethren,  and  so  make  their  wor- 
ship a  parochial,  as  well  as  an  individual,  oblation. 
Morning  prayer  is  followed,  after  a  brief  interval  which 

138 


may  be  occupied  in  singing,  by  an  instruction  on  some 
point  of  Christian  living  or  believing.  Where  the  num- 
bers in  attendance  warrant  it,  the  form  of  discourse 
maybe  that  of  the  sermon,  but  most  missioners  find  a 
colloquial  style  more  effective,  and  some  emphasize 
their  position  as  teachers,  rather  than  preachers,  by 
remaining  seated  during  the  instruction.  After  a 
half  hour's  teaching  a  collect  is  said,  the  blessing 
given,  and  the  people  permitted  to  withdraw;  but 
any  who  have  questions  to  ask,  or  further  explana- 
tion to  seek,  are  encouraged  to  remain.  There  may 
be  a  little  reserve  at  first,  but  the  ice  is  soon  broken, 
and  "  friend  holds  fellowship  with  friend."  Of  course 
there  are  dangers  attendant  upon  this  Socratic  method 
of  teaching,  which  only  the  missioner's  tact  and  judg- 
ment can  avert. 

The  main  service  of  the  mission  is  at  night.  Even- 
ing prayer  having  been  said  in  the  afternoon,  the  litur- 
gical portion  of  this  service  is  very  short.  There  should 
be  nothing  requiring  responses  or  anything  to  make  a 
stranger  feel  conspicuous.  One  passage  from  Holy 
Scripture,  a  few  stirring  hymns,  and  two  or  three  col- 
lects, altogether  occupying  ten  or  fifteen  minutes  will  be 
enough.  Then  follows  the  sermon ;  a  plain  presentation 
of  some  great  truth  to  arouse  the  impenitent,  the  care- 
less, or  the  indifferent.  If  these  people  can  ever  be  in- 
duced to  attend  church,  it  will  be  during  a  mission. 
Properly  directed  efforts  will  bring  them.  The  parish 
workers  must  realize  that  this  is  the  time  for  their  best 
work.  Visiting  must  not  be  relaxed.  Personal  invita- 
tions must  be  pressed  more  earnestly.  Ushers  must 
be  on  hand  to  welcome   strangers  and   give  them   the 

139 


best  seats.  A  large  placard ,  with  the  order  of  services, 
in  front  of  the  church,  may  well  be  replaced  by  a  trans- 
parency and  an  electric  light  at  night.  In  a  city, 
«'  dodgers "  should  be  handed  to  passers-by,  within  a 
radius  of  several  blocks,  for  an  hour  before  the  service, 
inviting  all  to  attend.  Sometimes  a  portion  of  the  choir 
will  sing  mission  hymns  in  the  vestibule  for  twenty  min- 
utes before  the  service.  Any  method  is  right,  which  is 
not  wrong,  to  reach  those  wandering  sheep  and  "  com- 
pel them   to  come  in." 

The  sermon  ended,  a  hymn  is  sung,  during  which 
those  who  cannot  remain  half  an  hour  longer  are  asked 
to  retire.  Then  follows  the  after-meeting.  The  aim  in 
this  meeting  is  to  bring  the  truth  home  to  individual 
hearts  and  consciences.  The  manner  rather  than  the 
matter  of  preaching  is  changed.  "  We  beseech 
Thee  to  hear  us,  good  Lord."  Some  missioners  approach 
people  in  the  pews,  and  pray  with  them  then  and  there. 
This  is  Mr.  Aitken's  method.  Most  American  mission- 
ers, however,  pursue  a  different  plan.  Usually  no  one 
is  approached  personally  during  this  after-meeting. 
Many  persons  will  resent  being  made  conspicuous  in  this 
manner.  The  after-meeting,  therefore,  is  closed,  and 
what  may  be  called  a  second  after- meeting  is  begun. 
The  missioner  has  asked  all  to  retire  who  do  not  wish  to 
speak  to  him  on  the  subject  of  personal  religion,  or  who 
are  not  willing  that  he  should  speak  to  them.  This 
gives  him  a  perfect  understanding  with  those  who 
remain.  He  has  no  "anxious  seat"  or  "mourners" 
bench; "he  has  used  no  unseemly  constraint;  he  has 
resorted  to  no  questionable  device  to  bring  these  people 
to  him,  but  here  they  are — a  number  of  inquirers, 
140 


ew  or  many,  with  whose  eternal  welfare  he  must 
deal.  Some  can  be  satisfied  easily — a  few  words  will 
suffice;  others  will  need  a  longer  interview,  and  the 
missioner  will  appoint  an  hour  to  meet  them  individu- 
ally, or  perhaps  he  will  have  some  judicious  helper, 
clerical  or  lay,  at  hand,  who  will  be  competent  to 
furnish  the  needed  counsel  at  once.  The  experience  of 
missioners  everywhere  is  singularly  alike  in  this  particu- 
lar. At  first  very  few  remain — sometimes  none.  "Well," 
says  Bishop  Thorold,  "why  be  disappointed?  All 
hearts  are  at  the  Lord's  disposal,  and  as  soon  as  it 
seems  to  Him  that  you  can  help  them  by  their  coming 
to  you,  be  quite  sure  that  they  will  come.  For  as  the 
weeks  go  on,  and  the  opportunities  are  fewer,  and  the 
impression  deepens,  and  the  arrows  wriggle  in  the 
heart,  they  do  come,  they  must  come,  first  one,  then  an- 
other, until  the  general  and  sudden  thaw  is  like  the 
breaking  up  of  the  ice  in  some  Arctic  river.'* 

CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

Catholic  iHissions. 

In  his  book,  "  Revivals  and  Missions,"  Dr.  Chapman 
says: 

The  holding  of  special  missions  for  the  reaching  of 
those  not  identified  with  the  Catholic  Church  has  the 
sanction  and  support  of  the  Church  and  the  cordial  sym- 
pathy and  help  given  the  missioners  by  authorities  may 
well  rebuke  the  Protestants  oftentimes  because  of  their 
lack  of  sympathy  not  only,  but  their  positive  opposition 
to  revivals  or  missions. 

141 


Yet,  while  emphasizing  the  work  of  the  missioner, 
the  Church  most  clearly  states  that  every  priest  is  to  be 
constantly  seeking  for  souls.  A  clear  statement  of  this 
fact  is  presented  in  an  article  written  by  the  Rev.  Walter 
Elliott  in  The  Missionary. 

Sometimes  we  hear  things  said  which  will  indicate 
a  doubt  as  to  the  capability  of  diocesan  priests  for  mis- 
sionary work  with  non-Catholics.  The  parish  clergy 
are  often  supposed  to  be,  by  both  training  and 
temperament,  unfitted  for  addressing  non-Catholics 
in  public.  As  to  training  before  ordination,  there  is  no 
essential  difference  between  that  of  a  missionary  and 
that  of  a  parish  priest.  Both  are  to  be  Catholic  priests 
and  must  be  similarly  educated;  God  has  made  the 
entire  priesthood  apostolic.  Zeal  for  souls  is  its  funda- 
mental trait. 

And  as  the  training  and  the  inspiration  of  the  priest- 
hood are  one,  whether  for  religious  or  diocesan  priests — 
the  sacred  learning  and  all  the  holy  sacrifice  being 
identical,  the  Gospel  and  the  Mass  being  one — so  is  the 
priestly  heart  one,  that  heart  that  throbs  with  love  for 
the  ' '  other  sheep."  If  a  parish  priest  is  equal  to  his  vo- 
cation, he  never  forgets  non-Catholics  in  his  ministra- 
tions, he  never  forgets  any  immortal  soul  within  his 
reach.  He  stands  for  Christ,  and  with  Him  he  often 
says  to  himself,  "  Other  sheep  I  have  who  are  not  of 
this  fold  ;  them  also  must  I  bring."  He  always  has  at 
least  a  few  men  and  women  under  instruction,  he  al- 
ways knows  a  few  others  who  are  half  converted  and 
whom  he  cultivates  and  finally  will  bring  in.  Da  mihi 
anintas  is  the  universal  priestly  motto;  Give  me  souls  is 
the  prayer  always  uttered  by  the  sacerdotal  heart.     Let 

142 


aptiest  but  feel  that  noble  thirst,  and  he  becomes  in 
time  the  strongest  character,  the  ruling  spirit  in  his 
town,  and  is  as  masterful  to  save  non -Catholics  as  to 
make  perfect  the  lives  of  Catholics. 

The  Rev.  Walter  Elliott  gave  an  account  in  the 
Catholic  World  of  a  mission  held  in  St.  Paul's  Parish, 
New  York  City.  We  quote  a  few  extracts  that  show  the 
method  of  these  Paulist  Fathers. 

The  missionaries  spent  many  days,  and  especially 
many  evenings,  before  the  opening  Sunday  in  the 
visitation,  often  returning  several  times  to  the  same 
family.  During  the  earlier  weeks  of  the  mission  the 
names  of  obstinate  sinners  were  constantly  being 
handed  in.  and  these  were  sought  after  again  and 
again  with  the  best  results.  In  a  word,  the  Apostolate 
of  Shoe-leather  preceded  that  of  the  living  word  in  the 
pulpit  and  the  sacramental  word  in  the  confessional.  We 
think  that  the  visitation  was  the  most  potent  cause 
(apart  from  the  unseen  and  incalculable  influence  of 
divine  grace)  of  the  great  success  of  the  mission.  It  set 
everybody  talking,  it  brought  the  priest  into  every  fam- 
ily, it  was  an  offering  of  some  extra  hard  work  on  the 
part  of  the  clergy  and  of  practical  zeal  on  the  part  of  the 
devout  laity. 

At  the  same  time  as  the  visitation  began  the  help  of 
the  Apostolate  of  the  Press,  many  thousands  of  cards  of 
invitation  were  handed  around  by  the  priests  themselves, 
and  were  soon  everywhere  in  the  hands,  the  pockets,  and 
the  prayer-books  of  the  people.  Meantime,  of  course, 
carefully  framed  announcements  were  made  at  all  the 
Masses  for  some  Sundays  beforehand  and  public  prayers 
were  offered.     The  monthly  parish   Calendar  contained 

143 


extended  and  thoughtfully- worded  exhortations,  and 
the  daily  papers  were  induced  to  print  brief  notices  A 
big  sign  was  fixed  above  the  main  entrance  to  the  church, 
changing  from  week  to  week,  and  attracting  the  atten- 
tion of  the  ceaseless  tide  of  humanity  surging  about  the 
corners  and  upon  the  platforms  of  the  adjacent  elevated 
railroad  stations — a  fact  which  accounts  for  many  who 
are  not  parishioners  making  the  mission. 

The  division  of  the  exercises  into  four  weeks  was  a 
necessity.  Each  week  the  church,  great  as  it  is,  was 
filled  twice  every  day  at  5  a.  m.,  and  at  the  evening 
service. 

The  grand  total  of  the  four  weeks'  mission,  includ- 
ing children,  was  over  13,000;  indeed  it  went  considera- 
bly beyond  that  number  if  we  count  those  who  straggled 
in  to  the  Sacraments  during  three  or  four  weeks  after 
the  close. 

We  opened  the  non-Catholic  mission  the  closing 
Sunday  of  the  last  week  of  the  Catholic  mission.  Of 
course  every  effort  had  been  made  by  the  missionaries 
to  attract  Protestants  to  the  services,  depending  mainly, 
however,  upon  the  personal  exertions  of  our  parishioners 
among  their  friends.  Needless  to  say  that  vast  audiences 
of  Catholics  came ;  but  we  had,  as  we  expected,  a  large 
attendance  of  non-Catholics  every  night,  no  less  than 
six  hundred  at  some  of  the  lectures,  perhaps  even  more. 
The  zeal  of  Catholics  for  their  own  salvation  broadened 
out  until  it  embraced  their  separated  brethren,  and  by 
every  means  allowable  sought  to  bring  them  to  the 
church.  We  wish  to  insist  that  the  reason  for  the  evi- 
dent improvement  in  tone  as  well  as  increased  attend- 
ance of  non-Catholics  at  this  year's  mission  is  to  be  at- 
144 


tributed  to  the  Catholic  people's  zeal.  In  this  parish  they 
have  been  for  many  years  steadily  reminded  of  their 
vocation  to  convert  their  fellow-citizens  to  the  true  re- 
ligion, and  now  they  are  pretty  fully  awake  to  that  holy 
duty.  They  know  that  we  are  ready  to  do  our  part, 
and  always  at  their  service  to  instruct  or  even  to  argue 
with  their  non-Catholic  friends,  and  that  we  have  in  the 
church  office  an  unfailing  supply  of  free  doctrinal  liter- 
ature. In  fact  the  people  are  beginning  to  have  a  mis- 
sionary conscience,  and  results  show  accordingly.  This 
is  illustrated  by  the  way  the  invitations  to  non-Catholics 
were  distributed.  We  printed  three  thousand  copies  of 
the  accompanying  card,  placed  them  in  envelopes,  and 
notified  the  people  at  Mass  two  Sundays  before  we  be- 
gan with  the  non-Catholics;  the  three  thousand  were 
gone  in  a  flash — it  was  hard  to  get  a  single  card  that 
Sunday  noon.  They  were  all  addressed  and  mailed  by 
the  people  to  their  non-Catholic  friends ;  and  this  was  a 
strong  reinforcement  to  the  invitations  given  person- 
ally: 

You  are  invited  to  attend  a  course  of  lectures  in  the 
Paulist  Church,  Columbus  Avenue  and  Fifty-ninth 
Street,  during  the  evenings  of  the  week  beginning 
Sunday,  February  6.  The  topics  chosen  are  calculated 
to  interest  you  very  deeply  (bearing  as  they  do  upon 
matters  of  vital  religious  interest).  They  will  be  pre- 
sented in  a  friendly  spirit,  our  purpose  being  a  plain  ex- 
position of  Catholic  doctrine  and  practice. 

This  card  will  secure  you  a  seat  during  the  entire 
course. 

Very  faithfully  yours, 

The  Paulist  Fathers. 

145 


Doctrinal  leaflets  were  eagerly  accepted  every 
night.  Many  hundreds  of  good  books  were  bought  by 
the  non-Catholics  at  the  church  entrances  (for  a  very 
small  price  to  be  sure)  and  taken  home  to  play  the  silent 
part  of  the  Apostolate  of  the  Press  in  future  conver- 
sions. Ninety-one  non-Catholics  attended  the  first 
meeting  of  our  Inquiry  Class.  Of  these  more  than 
three-fourths  are  practically  certain  of  taking  instruc- 
tions and  of  being  received  into  the  Church  in  the  near 
future  ;  this,  in  addition  to  about  a  score  of  converts 
already  received,  men  and  women  whose  instruction  was 
found  advanced  enough  to  be  finished  during  the  five 
weeks  of  the  mission. 

Anyway,  we  have  reason  to  be  thankful  to  God  for 
our  mission,  one  of  a  kind  given  by  all  communities  and 
by  the  new  diocesan  missionaries  everywhere  in  this 
country.  As  to  converts,  our  success  this  time  is  very 
encouraging.  Consider  that  every  convert,  according  to 
the  usual  rule,  will  sooner  or  later  bring  in  at  least  one 
other,  generally  more,  and  this  gives  a  cheerful  outlook. 
"To  him  that  hath  shall  be  given"  is  never  more  true 
than  in  the  case  of  a  parish  in  which  converts  already 
abound.  Each  harvest  fills  not  only  the  barns,  but 
provides  seed-corn  for  yet  other  harvests. 

CHAPTER  XL. 

Snnbarj  School  evangelism. 

In  answer  to  a  request  from  Mr.  John  H.  Converse, 
Dr.  George  W.  Bailey,  of  Philadelphia,  wrote  the  follow- 
ing letter,  to  which  special  attention  is  called.    Dr.  Bailey 
146 


has  been  an  active  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Evangel- 
istic Committee  of  Philadelphia  and  zealous  in  the  work 
of  evangelism. 

Philadelphia,  November  19th,  1901. 
Mr.  John  H.  Converse, 

Chairman    General  Assembly's  Committee  Upon 
Evangelistic  Work. 

Dear  Sir: 

In  compliance  with  your  request  for  suggestions 
concerning  methods  of  work  to  be  promoted  by  your 
Committee,  I  am  pleased  to  submit  the  following: 

First,  that  the  Sunday  School  be  recognized  as  a 
most  promising  iand  important  field  of  evangelistic  ser- 
vices ;  promising,  because  statistics  show  that  eighty-five 
per  cent,  of  accessions  to  church  membership  are  from 
the  Sunday  School.  Important,  because  the  largest  num- 
ber of  our  scholars  come  from  homes  where  prayer  is 
seldom  heard,  and  many  of  them  from  homes  where  all 
the  influences  are  against  the  Christian  religion.  We 
therefore  conclude,  if  these  scholars  are  not  brought  to 
Christ  during  the  little  time  they  are  in  the  Sunday' 
School,  the  chances  of  their  conversion  are  greatly  di- 
minished. 

We  may  also  be  reminded  that  the  average  Sunday 
School  teacher  is  inexperienced  and  without  a  sufficient 
knowledge  of  the  Word  of  God  to  enable  him  or  her  to  ef- 
fectively present  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  as  a  personal 
Saviour;  hence  the  necessity  for  some  general  plan  of 
conducting  evangelistic  services  in  the  Sunday  School, 
and  since  new  scholars  are  continually  being  added, 
these  services  should  be  held  at  stated  periods. 

147 


As  one  of  the  best  ways  of  providing  for  systematic 
and  regular  evangelistic  services  in  the  Sunday  School, 
would  suggest  that  once  each  month,  preferably  the  Sun- 
day preceding  the  Communion  Sabbath,  the  opening  ex- 
ercises be  shortened,  the  lesson  review  dispensed  with, 
and  the  last  twenty  or  twenty-five  minutes  of  the  session 
devoted  to  a  prayer  meeting,  largely  in  the  interest  of 
the  unconverted  scholars. 

The  spoken  word  for  the  most  part  should  be  appro- 
priate Scripture,  with  brief  prayers  and  hymns.  In  this 
service  I  would  encourage  the  oldest  scholars  to  lead  in 
audible  prayer  for  their  unconverted  schoolmates,  by 
which  means  two  objects  are  secured.  The  scholar  lead- 
ing in  prayer  is  helped,  and  instances  are  not  wanting 
where  the  prayer  by  scholars  for  scholars  has  produced 
an  impression  not  otherwise  secured.  Of  course,  at  the 
close  of  each  one  of  these  services  an  opportunity  should 
be  given  for  those  who  will  do  so  to  manifest  their  desire 
to  become  Christians. 

I  am  aware  that  many  of  our  pastors  and  others  do 
not  favor  evangelistic  services  in  the  Sunday  School.  We 
should  labor  to  bring  them  to  a  change  of  mind. 

With  a  sincere  desire  that  the  efforts  of  your  Commit- 
tee may  be  crowned  with  our  Heavenly  Father's  richest 
blessing, 

Very  truly  yours, 

(Signed)  George  W.  Bailey. 


148 


Princeton   Theological  Seminary   Libraries 


1    1012  01232  2154 


DATE  DUE 

J*mm 

ifc* 

DEMCO  38-297 

> 


